The Party programme

Public economy and long-term investment

Investment decisions shape the services, productive capacity and living conditions available for decades. A public asset can generate a financial return while also fulfilling a service obligation. Those purposes need to be stated together. Evaluating a railway, electricity network or research facility solely by its immediate receipts obscures the wider economic activity it makes possible.

The PCP supports a public economy with clear responsibilities, competent management and investment horizons suited to the assets concerned. Public ownership should serve identifiable public purposes. Productive private enterprises, cooperatives and public enterprises should be able to contribute through transparent arrangements that protect the continuity and accessibility of essential services.

Swiss federalism provides several levels at which public investment can be organised. The PCP proposes coordination between the Confederation, cantons, communes and public operators through agreed objectives and defined responsibilities. Existing institutions remain the setting for this work. Each proposal should identify who decides, who finances and who accounts for delivery.

Investment plans should separate construction costs, recurring expenditure, maintenance and foreseeable replacement. Funding proposals must identify the budgets concerned and explain how risks are shared. Project reviews should occur at agreed stages; a review can revise a weak project without abandoning the public objective that justified it.

• Publish investment objectives and service obligations together.
• Prepare multi-year investment programmes with maintenance included.
• Evaluate productive capacity, service access and environmental effects alongside cash flows.
• Use transparent procurement and specify responsibilities in partnerships.
• Protect strategic public assets from disposal driven only by a short-term budget target.
• Support capable small and medium-sized suppliers through accessible procurement procedures.

Industry and innovation

Research contributes to prosperity when knowledge can be developed, tested and used in production. Laboratories, skilled workforces, dependable energy, equipment and finance all matter. An industrial policy must examine the chain linking these capabilities. Support that ends with an announcement or a patent count gives an incomplete picture of economic results.

The PCP proposes an industrial policy that strengthens productive capabilities and their contribution to society. Public support should carry explicit objectives, reviewable conditions and responsibilities. Small and medium-sized firms need access to research facilities, technical skills and suitable financing; workers need a place in decisions affecting training and changes in production.

Swiss research institutions, vocational education and industrial enterprises provide the starting point. Proposals should improve connections between them, identify gaps in production and testing capacity, and respect the responsibilities of the institutions concerned. Cooperation with China should reinforce local competence and a durable ability to maintain and improve technology.

A support programme should distinguish exploratory research, demonstration and industrial deployment. Each requires different expectations and financing. Decisions should consider additional investment, skills, energy use and the ability to operate independently over time. Agreements should cover intellectual property, maintenance, evaluation and the treatment of unsuccessful projects.

• Establish shared testing and demonstration facilities where a documented need exists.
• Make support conditional on defined research, production or training commitments.
• Improve access to technical expertise for smaller firms.
• Include worker training in industrial transition plans.
• Develop transparent research and industrial exchanges with China.
• Evaluate the productive use of publicly supported research.

Work, income and occupational security

Pay, hours, job security and opportunities to learn determine whether economic development improves everyday life. Technological changes can improve work when training, staffing and the organisation of production are addressed together. The benefits of higher productivity depend on how they are distributed and on the bargaining position of those who do the work.

The PCP defends fair remuneration, effective collective bargaining and the ability to develop skills throughout working life. Changes in production should be discussed with employees and their representatives. Public support to enterprises should specify employment and training commitments, and give workers an intelligible account of the changes proposed.

Switzerland’s vocational institutions, collective agreements and employment services provide established points of action. The PCP proposes strengthening their links when sectors change, improving recognition of skills, and providing accessible routes into further training. Measures must address the income and time needed to take part in that training.

Training requires qualified instructors, suitable equipment and time that workers can actually use. Programmes should identify who pays course costs and how income is maintained. Employment measures should be evaluated with workers as well as employers, including where a sector has many temporary or subcontracted jobs.

• Include funded training plans in publicly supported restructuring.
• Strengthen collective bargaining over pay, hours and technical change.
• Make retraining accessible during working life.
• Improve the recognition and portability of occupational skills.
• Assess employment quality in public procurement.
• Require clear employment commitments when enterprises receive targeted public support.

Housing that remains affordable

Housing policy must address the supply, location, quality and lasting affordability of homes. Increasing the number of dwellings does not alone establish who can afford them or for how long. Public land, transport connections and the terms attached to public support influence the outcome. Housing should be considered alongside the services that make an area liveable.

The PCP supports an expanded supply of permanently affordable homes, a stronger role for non-profit housing providers and responsible use of public land. Public assistance should carry lasting affordability requirements. Renovation must improve energy performance and habitability while taking account of the ability of existing residents to remain in their homes.

Swiss communes and cantons already have planning responsibilities and different housing instruments. The PCP proposes combining these with cooperative and non-profit provision, long-term land arrangements and coordinated transport investment. The relevant measures vary with the local housing market and must state the responsibilities of each authority.

Projects should present land costs, construction, finance, maintenance and expected rents separately. Public support needs a defined duration and enforceable terms. Evaluation should consider delivery times and whether the intended households can actually access the homes. The effects of renovation on rent and displacement must be examined before work is agreed.

• Use public land for homes with lasting affordability commitments.
• Support cooperatives and other non-profit housing providers.
• Coordinate housing with public transport and everyday services.
• Publish the affordability conditions attached to public support.
• Plan renovation with tenant protection and transparent costs.
• Evaluate housing supply by access and long-term occupancy costs.

Health and accessible care

Household premiums and out-of-pocket costs need to be considered alongside the organisation and quality of care. A system can become more expensive while essential services remain difficult to reach. Policy should examine primary care, coordination between providers, avoidable administrative duplication and the distribution of costs. A financial transfer alone does not explain whether care has improved.

The PCP supports accessible care, a stronger public service role and a fairer distribution of healthcare costs. Cost management must preserve necessary treatment and decent working conditions. Investment in primary care, prevention and coordination should be evaluated against real access, quality and the burden placed on households.

Proposals start from Switzerland’s existing insurance, cantonal responsibilities, healthcare providers and professional institutions. The PCP proposes better coordination of care and targeted improvements to public provision, together with transparent debate about financing. Any change must explain its effects on patients, staff, insurers and the public budgets concerned.

Reforms should distinguish service organisation from the redistribution of financing. Proposals require a cost baseline, an account of transitional expenditure and a quality assessment. People using services and healthcare workers should contribute to evaluation. Savings must not be asserted before the underlying mechanism and evidence have been examined.

• Strengthen accessible primary care and continuity of treatment.
• Improve coordination between hospital, outpatient and community services.
• Publish understandable information about costs and service responsibilities.
• Examine coordinated purchasing where quality and supply can be maintained.
• Assess household burdens across premiums, contributions and taxes.
• Include staffing and working conditions in service planning.

Education, research and skills

Education is both a public service and a foundation of productive and civic life. Its quality depends on teaching, equipment, time and the ability to move between learning pathways. Research institutions also need continuity: a laboratory cannot maintain expertise through isolated announcements. Vocational and academic learning should be connected without making either a lesser route.

The PCP supports strong public education, accessible continuing education and dependable support for research. Students and apprentices need suitable learning conditions. Technical competence, scientific inquiry, language learning and the ability to take part in public discussion belong together. Training policy should consider the circumstances of people returning to study during working life.

Switzerland’s vocational education, universities and research institutions offer a strong starting point. The PCP proposes improving transitions between pathways, access to continuing education and cooperation between institutions and enterprises. Exchanges with China should be academically substantive, transparent and useful to the participating institutions and learners.

Education programmes should distinguish operating resources, buildings, equipment and student support. Research evaluation needs an appropriate horizon and room for uncertain results. Exchange agreements should specify academic objectives, responsibilities, recognition of study and the practical support available to participants.

• Maintain dependable support for teaching and research infrastructure.
• Improve access between vocational and academic pathways.
• Support continuing education with usable time and financing.
• Develop research cooperation and educational exchanges with China.
• Strengthen shared facilities for technical training.
• Include teachers, researchers and learners in the assessment of reforms.

Pensions, care and independent living

Retirement income, housing, care and local services jointly determine security in later life. A pension can lose practical value if unavoidable living costs rise or essential assistance is inaccessible. Policy must also recognise the work of professional carers and unpaid carers. Independent living requires suitable homes, transport and everyday support.

The PCP supports dependable retirement income and accessible care, with services organised around the person receiving support. Measures should preserve autonomy, continuity and social participation. Care work needs sufficient staffing, proper training and decent conditions. Families should have understandable routes to advice and assistance.

Proposals operate within Swiss pension institutions, cantonal care responsibilities and communal services. The PCP favours stronger coordination between healthcare, home support, housing and transport. Changes in financing must identify their effects on retirement income and on the budgets of people who require long-term assistance.

Plans should estimate personnel requirements and recurring operating costs as well as buildings. Service users and carers should help assess the practical effects. A change in institutional responsibility must maintain continuity of care and provide a clear contact for the person concerned.

• Assess retirement income against unavoidable living costs.
• Improve access to coordinated home and community support.
• Adapt housing and local facilities to independent living.
• Strengthen care training and staffing.
• Recognise and support unpaid caring responsibilities.
• Publish clear information about available services and responsibilities.

Families, childcare and everyday services

The organisation and cost of childcare affect children’s daily lives and the ability of adults to combine paid work and care. Availability on paper does not establish accessibility: opening hours, distance, fees and continuity all matter. Services also depend on qualified staff with enough time and resources to provide appropriate care.

The PCP supports accessible, dependable childcare and public facilities that meet everyday needs. The interests and development of children should guide service standards. Funding arrangements should reduce excessive burdens on households and allow stable staffing. Care responsibilities must be taken into account in employment and training policies.

Swiss cantonal and communal responsibilities provide the basis for proposals. The PCP favours local planning that connects childcare with housing, transport and employment patterns. Public support should have clear quality and access conditions, with transparent responsibilities for providers and funding bodies.

A viable service needs operating finance, trained staff and appropriate premises. Expansion plans should identify each requirement and avoid creating places without the staff to run them. Reviews should consider children’s experience, household costs and continuity of care, alongside the number of places.

• Plan childcare supply against documented local needs.
• Make fees and access conditions understandable.
• Support continuity of staffing and qualified care.
• Coordinate opening hours with ordinary work and training patterns.
• Include childcare in neighbourhood and housing planning.
• Give parents and staff a clear route to service evaluation.

Energy security and ecological investment

An energy transition requires generation, networks, storage, efficient buildings and skilled maintenance. These investments have different operating lives and constraints. Decisions must consider the reliability and cost of the whole system, including seasonal needs. A target for one technology does not replace a workable programme for supply and demand.

The PCP supports secure, accessible energy and a sustained reduction in environmental damage. Public coordination should bring generation, networks and efficiency investments into a coherent programme. Household costs and industrial needs belong in the assessment. Workers need training and continuity when technical changes alter their occupations.

Swiss electricity institutions, public and other operators, building policies and cantonal responsibilities form the setting. Proposals should improve coordination of network investment, local generation, storage and renovation. A technology should be chosen for an explained purpose and evaluated under the conditions in which it will operate.

Investment assessments should include construction, operation, replacement and end-of-life costs. Programmes need realistic delivery schedules and skilled staff. Decisions should state how public funding and user charges are distributed and how unforeseen costs are handled.

• Coordinate generation, network and storage programmes.
• Prioritise maintenance and efficient use alongside new capacity.
• Support building renovation with transparent costs.
• Plan training for affected occupations.
• Assess clean-energy cooperation with China.
• Publish assumptions about reliability, seasonal demand and household costs.

Transport and dependable infrastructure

Transport policy connects access to employment, education, care and ordinary services. Reliability depends on maintenance, staffing and the coordination of networks as well as construction. A project that improves one route can impose costs elsewhere if connections and operating requirements are overlooked. Passenger and freight needs both require a long-term account.

The PCP supports dependable public transport and infrastructure investment assessed by public usefulness. Planning should connect housing, jobs and services, protect maintenance resources and improve accessibility. Decisions on new capacity must explain the service objective and the operating resources needed to achieve it.

Swiss transport institutions, integrated service planning and public operators provide the starting point. The PCP proposes strengthening coordination between land use, local services and transport investment. Cooperation with China can concern research, construction methods and technical knowledge where it serves a specified need.

Project appraisal should compare improvements to existing assets with new construction. Funding must cover operations and maintenance over time. Users, operators and the authorities concerned should contribute to identifying practical service problems and reviewing delivery.

• Protect maintenance within investment programmes.
• Coordinate housing and service development with transport.
• Evaluate connections and accessibility across the network.
• Include staff and operating costs in capacity decisions.
• Study appropriate technical cooperation with China.
• Publish expected service improvements and project reviews.

Regions, agriculture and everyday access

Economic opportunities and public services are distributed unevenly across places. Transport, communications, care, education and the conditions of agricultural production all influence whether a region can maintain a viable economic and social life. Regional policy needs to identify concrete gaps and the relationships between local production and the wider economy.

The PCP supports coordinated regional development and viable conditions for agriculture. Public services should be assessed through actual access. Investments need to strengthen local capabilities and links with other regions. Agricultural policy should consider production conditions, stable livelihoods, environmental requirements and the place of farmers in the food chain.

Swiss federalism and regional institutions provide the framework. The PCP proposes cooperation between cantons, communes, public operators and productive enterprises on documented regional needs. Agricultural measures should be discussed with producers and assessed alongside food processing, distribution and access to markets.

Regional programmes should identify operating resources, not only capital works. Responsibilities and local capacity must be clear before support is awarded. Assessments should account for geographic conditions and avoid using a single national average to describe every region.

• Identify gaps in access to essential services.
• Coordinate transport and communications with local economic needs.
• Support regional training and productive capabilities.
• Improve transparency in agricultural value chains.
• Connect environmental measures with viable production.
• Evaluate projects with regional institutions and service users.

Digital infrastructure and responsible use of data

Digital services depend on networks, software, skilled staff and continuing maintenance. Moving a procedure online can improve access, but can also create barriers if the service is difficult to use or assistance disappears. Public bodies need the capacity to understand the systems they buy and to maintain access to essential information.

The PCP supports public digital capacity, accessible services and responsible handling of data. Technology should improve the service provided. Procurement must account for maintenance, interoperability and the ability to change supplier. People must have a usable route to assistance when a digital procedure fails.

Proposals build on the responsibilities of Swiss public institutions and existing service providers. The PCP supports interoperable public systems, stronger in-house competence and cooperation on documented technical needs. Scientific exchange with China can contribute where objectives and data responsibilities are clearly specified.

Digital projects need operating budgets, support arrangements and a replacement plan. Procurement should explain data access, responsibilities, migration and exit costs. Evaluation should test whether users can complete a real task, including when connectivity is poor or additional assistance is required.

• Preserve effective assistance alongside online procedures.
• Assess interoperability and supplier dependence before procurement.
• Fund continuing maintenance and staff competence.
• Specify necessary data and its purpose.
• Evaluate accessibility with actual users.
• Examine appropriate technical research cooperation with China.

Democratic participation and public service

Public decisions improve when people can understand the question, examine the evidence and see what happens to their contributions. Consultation requires time, understandable documents and an account of the decision. Public service quality also depends on clear responsibility between institutions, particularly where several authorities are involved.

The PCP supports democratic participation, public explanation of decisions and effective scrutiny of implementation. The Party proposes accessible policy documents, reasoned responses to substantive contributions and regular assessment of public services. Residents should be able to identify the authority responsible for a service and obtain a useful answer.

Swiss federalism and direct-democratic participation remain the institutional framework. Proposals should strengthen the quality of public discussion and cooperation within it. Responsibilities of the Confederation, cantons and communes must be stated accurately, with practical routes for public contributions and service complaints.

Participation needs staff able to read and respond to contributions. Review procedures should distinguish political disagreement, factual corrections and service failures. Public summaries should explain important choices and preserve access to the material needed to assess them.

• Provide readable explanations and complete policy texts.
• Allow adequate time for substantive contributions.
• Explain how contributions informed decisions.
• Publish service responsibilities and useful contacts.
• Review coordination where several authorities are involved.
• Assess implementation alongside policy announcements.

Peace and cooperation with China

International cooperation affects research, production, public services and the ability to address shared environmental problems. Political disagreements should be examined accurately, and cooperation should have a clear purpose. A durable relationship requires informed discussion, contact between institutions and practical arrangements that participants can understand.

The PCP supports China’s development path, recognises the role of the Communist Party of China and advocates stronger cooperation between Switzerland and China. The Party supports peaceful relations, dialogue and shared work on scientific, industrial, environmental and cultural questions. Its proposals are made within Switzerland’s existing institutions.

The PCP proposes a cooperation agenda based on the responsibilities and capabilities of Swiss institutions. Research exchanges, technical projects and educational work should state their objectives, participants, resources and intended results. A proposal for cooperation must be distinguished from an agreement that has actually been concluded.

Cooperation proposals should identify the institutions able to carry them forward and the resources required. Evaluation should consider scientific or practical results and continuing competence. Public information should accurately describe the stage and scope of each activity.

• Strengthen informed public discussion of China.
• Support substantive scientific and educational exchange.
• Examine industrial cooperation serving clear productive needs.
• Develop research on infrastructure and ecological investment.
• Support dialogue and peaceful international relations.
• Publish objectives and responsibilities for proposed cooperation.

Assessment of results

Choose a small set of indicators linked to the objective. Establish a baseline and a reasonable period for assessment. Include experience from service users and workers. Publish the reasoning behind revisions. A contribution is useful when it identifies a source, a weakness, an alternative measure or an implementation condition that the current text has missed.

Sources and further reading

• Swiss institutions and democratic participation
• China: Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for 2026–2030
• Decision on further reform and Chinese modernisation