Crisis Management

The Federal Chancellery supports and advises the departments in preparing for and managing interdepartmental crises. It carries out its crisis management tasks in accordance with the Government and Administration Organisation Act (GAOA) and the Ordinance on the Crisis Organisation of the Federal Administration (OCOFA). The Federal Council has also entrusted the Federal Chancellery with managing the Integrated Exercise 2025 (IE 25), a nationwide crisis exercise.

Die Kuppel des Bundeshauses in der Morgendämmerung.

The tasks of the Federal Chancellery in the area of crisis management have increased significantly since the evaluations of the Federal Administration's crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Chancellery works closely with the departments and cantonal stakeholders in implementing these tasks.

The Federal Chancellery crisis management tasks include:

• Crisis anticipation and early crisis detection
• cantons
• scientific community
• Crisis communication
• Education and training in crisis management and sharing of experiences
• Evaluation of the crisis management during past crises
• Advising the departments before and during crises
• Exercises in crisis management
• Controlling Federal Council business relating to the crisis

The Integrated Exercise 2025 (IE 25) planned for November 2025 will review the new crisis organisation of the Federal Administration and that of the cantons. A Strategic Leadership Exercise (SLU) and a Swiss Security Network Exercise (SNE) will be combined for the first time. The federal and cantonal governments share responsibility for planning, execution and evaluation.

• The Federal Administration's cross-departmental crisis organisation

  On 29 March 2023, the Federal Council took a landmark decision on optimising its crisis management at a time of increasing global uncertainty. The focus is on managing emerging crises within the existing structures of the Federal Administration for as long as possible, but with accelerated procedures to increase efficiency. In addition, the early detection of crises is to be strengthened in order to be able to react to changes in the situation in a timely manner.

  The new Ordinance on the Crisis Organisation of the Federal Administration (OCOFA) was drafted on the basis of the Federal Council's decision. The focus is on the Federal Administration's realigned crisis management with three key elements:

  • The Policy and Strategic Crisis Management Unit is responsible for preparing decisions on policy and strategy. It will comprise the secretaries general of the departments concerned, the two vice chancellors and representatives of the Federal Finance Administration, the Federal Office of Justice, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and the State Secretariat for Security Policy. The cantons are included in an advisory capacity when they are affected.

  • The Operational Crisis Management team coordinates activities to provide the Policy and Strategic Crisis Management Unit with information to support it in decision-making. It also assists with implementation. This team is made up of representatives of the crisis management teams currently in action, and from the other administrative units in the department that have been affected. Representatives of the Federal Office of Justice and – if affected – the cantons are also included at this level.

  • The Organisation for Crisis Management plays a central role in crisis preparation and management. It consists of employees of the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Office for Civil Protection; experts from other departments can join as needed. In a normal situation, the members work in their regular line functions and are available to provide support in the event of a crisis.

  Holistic approach to crisis management

  Another important component of the Federal Administration's new crisis organisation is how to systematically include the cantons, the scientific community and, if necessary, other stakeholders in crisis teams. This measure promotes a holistic approach to crisis management and ensures that all necessary interest groups are appropriately represented. Furthermore, the OCOFA has created the legal basis for federal employees to be deployed temporarily for Federal Administration crisis management when necessary (‘Federal Administration personnel pool’).

  • General information page for employees and supervisors/managers (de, fr, it)
  • HR-specific information page (de, fr, it)

  Online learning module of the OCOFA Ordinance

  The Organisation for Crisis Management website provides two online training modules on crisis management in the Federal Administration. They are available to the general public (de, fr, it). Link

Further informations

• Documents

  • Verbesserte Krisenorganisation der Bundesverwaltung

    PDF467.56 kB16 February 2024

  All documents about the crisis management of the Federal Administration available in German under:

  Documentation crisis management

• Media releases

  Link to the press release in German, French and Italian: The Federal Council improves the crisis organisation of the Federal Administration
  December 20, 2024 The Federal Council is improving the crisis organisation of the Federal Administration: At its meeting on 20 December 2024, it approved the Ordinance on the Crisis Organisation of the Federal Administration (KOBV) and put it into effect on 1 February 2025. The aim of this ordinance is to create the necessary conditions for the rapid and systematic deployment of the interdepartmental crisis teams and thus to prepare the Federal Administration for crisis situations more efficiently and effectively.

  29 March 2023
  Federal Council improves crisis management structures
  The Federal Council aims to be better prepared for crisis situations and have more efficient mechanisms in place for dealing with them. At its meeting on 29 March, it decided, based on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, to strengthen the organisation of the Federal Administration so it is better equipped for future crises. In the event of complex crises, the Federal Council will be able to deploy crisis units at both a strategic and operational level. The Federal Council remains the supreme governing authority. In addition, a Standing Core Unit will provide crisis management support to the departmental staff offices. The Federal Council has tasked the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport DDPS and the Federal Chancellery FCh with drawing up core legislation on the new crisis management structure by the end of 2023.

• Legal foundations

  Government and Administration Organisation Act (GAOA)

  Link to the Ordinance on the Crisis Organisation of the Federal Administration (available in German, French and Italian)

• Links

  WBT modules on crisis management in the federal administration