Council of the Swiss Abroad
Have you ever wondered how the Swiss who live abroad participate in and find out about which laws and policies will affect them? They are the CSA Delegates who represent the Swiss nationals who live and work in the UK on the Council of the Swiss Abroad. The Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) represents the interests of all Swiss citizens abroad vis-à-vis the authorities and public in Switzerland. It is also often referred to as the “Parliament of the Fifth Switzerland”.The UK has an allocation of five elected Delegates, based on the number of Swiss nationals living and working in the UK.
What makes an eligible candidate?
A candidate must be aged 18+, a Swiss National resident in the United Kingdom and registered with the Swiss Embassy London. They must be fluent in either German or French, which are the languages at the OSA Council meetings, and be willing to participate in two yearly meetings of the OSA Council online and in Switzerland.
All candidates standing for the next term have to be independently vetted for elibility by the Swiss Embassy London or provide evidence or registration via Online desk for Swiss nationals residing abroad (admin.ch). Applications to stand for elections will close on the 15th February 2025.
For any queries the process or elections in general please email president@swiss-societies.co.uk and a member of the FOSSUK Elections Committee will assist.
More information:
What is the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA)?
Who are the current UK CSA Delegates?
Read the UK Delegates Reports to find out how they contribute and what it means for Swiss living and working in the UK.
For any enquiries regarding the upcoming UK CSA Delegate elections for the 2025 - 2029 term, data security or the role of UK Delegates, please email president@swiss-societies.co.uk and an independent elections representative will respond.
Elections Timetable
Phase I: Call for candidates
05.10.2024 – 15.02.2025
Candidate eligibility is confirmed by the Swiss Embassy London
Phase II: Call for votes
11.04.2025 – 11.05.2025
Candidate profiles published in Swiss Review UK Regional Pages Issue II and on this website.
Phase III: Elected UK Delegates ratified at the FOSSUK AGM in June 2025
If you are unable to submit your candidacy online, please download the PDF document or contact us via president@swiss-societies.co.uk.
VOTING FOR THE 5 UK CSA DELEGATES
Following the recent vote at the AGM by the corporate members of FOSSUK, next year for the first time, all 5 candidates will be voted directly by the public. Candidate profiles are published in full on this website and summary profiles published in Issue 2 of the Regional Edition of the Swiss Review in 2025.
Voting will open on the 11th of April and will be closed at midnight 11th of May 2025.
Those wishing to vote for the CSA Delegates in the United Kingdom will need to be registered with the local representation before Friday, 31st January 2025. Eligible voters will be sent an email with instructions on how to vote online by the FDFA (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs) when the voting polls open on Friday, 11th April 2025.
All votes are confidential. Personal information is only used by the necessary authorities to verify the eligibility of each vote received. Any Swiss citizen aged 18 or over is entitled to vote, provided they are registered with the Swiss Embassy – and, crucially, registered under a valid e-mail address. The invitation to vote will be sent by e-mail directly.
The elected candidates are ratified at the FOSSUK AGM in June 2025 which will take at the Swiss Embassy.
FOSSUK cannot predict the number of candidates in any given election, thus, voters can select up to 5 candidates in according to the rules - with each candidate being counted only once.
Referring to FOSSUK's constitution (available in full in the About Us section on this website), the below are the rules pertaining specifically to the election of CSA Delegates as ratified by members at the 2019 FOSSUK AGM.
Q&A: Your influence as a Swiss Expat
Find out what the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) does and what being Delegate to the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) means.
On the 12th of November 2024, we will hold an online webinar where we will hear from some of the current UK Delegates.
Join our Q&A: Find out more about the role of Delegates and OSA’s work in our online Q&A session on November 12th, 2024, at 7pm (UK time). Register here: Zoom Registration Link.
In the meantime you can review the information provided on the 3rd of February 2021.
WHAT IS THE ORGANISATION OF THE SWISS ABROAD (OSA)?
The Organisation for the Swiss Abroad (OSA), is an independent organisation which is recognised as the advocate of the interests of the Fifth Switzerland.
Organised by the OSA, the Congress of the Swiss Abroad is the annual meeting of the Swiss citizen living all around the world. During this meeting, they have the opportunity to renew with the Swiss current information, to discuss on special themes and to exchange in a friendly atmosphere their own experiences. The Congress is held in German and French.
This Congress takes place each year in August, in a different area of Switzerland, and some 500 compatriots from the whole world come each year to this event. Visits, entertainment and meeting with the authorities and local population are also part of the programme.
The Council of the Swiss Abroad represents the interests of Swiss expatriates before the authorities and public opinion in Switzerland. This is why the media call it the 'Parliament of the Fifth Switzerland'. It has numerous major achievements for the Fifth Switzerland to its credit.
Quite a success story !
There have been many achievements and the SSA has always played a decisive role in carrying these through : the inclusion of Swiss living abroad in the Federal Constitution (Art 40), maintaining optional old-age and disablement insurance (AVS/AI), livelihood protection thanks to the Solidarity Fund, several civil rights revisions, information to Swiss abroad with the "Swiss Review", promotion of training young Swiss abroad or the introduction of the right to vote by mail - all these deserve to be highlighted as major achievements. It is also thanks to the activities of the Council of Swiss Abroad that the presence of the Fifth Switzerland back home over the years has increased significantly.
OSA SERVICES
-
Legal Department
-
Youth Service
-
Editorial Office "Swiss Review"
-
Association for the Promotion of Education for Young Swiss Abroad (AJAS)
-
educationsuisse (formerly: Committee for Swiss Schools Abroad)
-
Foundation for Young Swiss Abroad (FYSA)
More information is available on the OSA website: www.aso.ch
THE OSA MANAGEMENT TEAM
OSA is organised and run by a highly motivated and skilled team permanent administrative team, the Secretariat for the Swiss Abroad (SSA). You can see a full list of the team on the official Swiss Community website >
OSA Guides & Regulations
The seat allocation of CSA delegates reflects the number of Swiss Abroad in each country and is periodically re-determined on the basis of the current Statistics on the Swiss Abroad of the Federal Department for Foreign Affairs. Click on the following link to view the seat allocation for the term of office 2021-2025 The Council of the Swiss Abroad : SwissCommunity
As a foundation, the activities of OSA comply with the deed of foundation and our regulations. To view the latest OSA Guides, Procedures and Regulations please go to Structure : SwissCommunity
