Switzerland

Swiss Arbitration

Resources relating to arbitration in Switzerland, provided by the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA). Includes the Swiss Rules of International Arbitration 2021 (in a range of languages), with guidelines for arbitrators, the Swiss Private International Law Act and the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure. Model clauses and costs calculators are also available.

Legal Frameworks for Nuclear Activities

This part of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) site provides information on the legal frameworks for nuclear activities in OECD and NEA member and partner countries. Country profiles cover a range of topics including the regulatory regime, regulatory authorities and advisory bodies. There is information on nuclear installations, radioactive waste management, radioactive substances and equipment, non-proliferation and transport. Links are given to primary legislation and to other NEA publications. The NEA is part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA): International Law

International law section of the Swiss foreign ministry’s website, covering topics such as privileges and immunities, neutrality, international humanitarian law and international agreements. Official reports and manuals are provided, together with links to relevant Swiss legislation and international conventions. The International Agreements page has a database of treaties involving Switzerland and provides information about the treaties for which the Swiss government is the depositary. The site is in French, German, Italian and most – but not all - of it is also available in English.

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft

Official site of the Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation. Provides background information about the Swiss Confederation, the Federal Council and Federal Administration, with links to the current Constitution and the sites of the individual Swiss Cantons. Includes a free database of Swiss legislation in the official languages. Also has selected laws in English; these translations are for information only. A selection of federal publications is available to download in PDF format. It is possible to subscribe to current news from the Federal Administration.

Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property was founded in Bern in 1888. It is the Federal Agency for intellectual property matters but has its own legal personality and is independent of the Swiss Federal budget. Its primary role is as a first point of contact for customers who need industrial property rights. The site provides background information about patents, trademarks, designs and copyright, with links to further details. Forms for completion and submission are available to download in Word and PDF formats.

World Law: Switzerland

Section of WorldLII's Countries service covering Switzerland. A full range of browse and search features are provided. Browsable link collections include materials relating to the Courts, Government, Legislation, Other Indexes, Parliament and Research Centres with specific subject sections dealing with Financial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Taxation, Revenue and Customs. A series of stored search will automatically query all of the WorldLII catalog or databases.

Schweizerisches Bundesgericht

The main purpose of this website is to give access to the full-text of reports of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The Court's main functions are deciding on constitutional law matters in Switzerland, and hearing appeals in federal law matters. The period covered is 1954- to date (with reports back to 1875 linked to on another site) and the reports are available and searchable in French, German and Italian. The interface / presentation are available in these languages also.

Recueil systématique du droit fédéral (Confoederatio Helvetica)

Official compilation of the laws of the Confederation of Switzerland, available in French, German and Italian versions. This collection of texts of Swiss federal law is available free of charge. Texts are available mainly in PDF format, with some HTML. The main listing is alphabetically by title. There are also lists of internal law (constitutional, penal, private, educational and social, defence, transport, health, economy), a list of international agreements, and a list of selected public law texts. The site includes a search engine.

Swiss Institute of Comparative Law

The Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (Institut suisse de droit comparé, or ISDC) was established in Lausanne in 1982. Its primary task is to prepare legal opinions in respect of foreign law for the Federal authorities, courts, lawyers and other individuals. It also produces studies in comparative law, holds colloquia and carries out research projects. The Institute has an extensive law library, whose catalogue is available via the website. A set of legal links for countries from Afghanistan to Zambia is available on the Law Online page, annotated in English.

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