The Swiss Federal Council approved targeted measures to improve cooperation between federal and cantonal authorities involved in border management, with a particular focus on improving risk analysis.
Switzerland’s external border control involves multiple agencies. In 2023, the Federal Council reviewed the reFRONT report, which recommended enhancing cooperation and establishing a more structured framework across several areas: training, risk analysis, operational processes, infrastructure, technology, and governance.
The Federal Council tasked the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) with examining these recommendations in collaboration with all relevant authorities and proposing concrete implementation options by the end of 2025. In 2024, representatives from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security, several cantonal police forces (Bern, Geneva, Nidwalden, Zurich, Ticino), and national police and justice conferences jointly developed implementation proposals.
The Federal Council has now approved solutions in two areas:
- Policy and governance, including revising the mandate of the steering committee.
- Risk analysis, particularly clarifying which services are responsible.
Implementation will be carried out by the respective authorities within their existing resources. For other areas, training, processes, infrastructure, and technology, authorities agreed not to proceed with the proposed recommendations, as the operational situations and needs across agencies are too diverse to apply uniform solutions.