The Swiss Federal Council has adopted on 12 December 2025 the updated Digital Switzerland Strategy 2026, setting out new priorities to guide the federal digital transformation over the coming year. The new strategy identifies digital sovereignty, Switzerland’s role as a digital host state, and the introduction of the electronic identity (e-ID) as its three focus themes for 2026, reflecting shifting geopolitical, technological, and societal demands.
First introduced in its current form in 2022, the Digital Switzerland Strategy is updated annually. Its overarching goal remains unchanged: to ensure that the entire population benefits from a responsible, sustainable and inclusive digital transformation, taking ecological, economic and social aspects into account. The strategy is binding for the Federal Administration and serves as a framework of reference for all other actors involved in digitalisation, including policy-makers, business, science, and civil society.
New priorities for 2026
With the 2026 update, the Federal Council places a stronger emphasis on resilience and international responsibility in the digital sphere.
- Digital sovereignty: the Federal Administration aims to further strengthen its digital independence and resilience. This includes ensuring the capacity to act and withstand crises, particularly in an environment shaped by growing cyber risks, technological dependencies and global uncertainty.
- Digital host state: Switzerland intends to reinforce its role as a trusted digital host state, with a particular focus on International Geneva. Measures will concentrate on cyber resilience, the security of data centres and the reliability of cloud infrastructures, underlining Switzerland’s ambition to remain a secure location for international organisations in the digital age.
- Introduction of the e-ID: a key milestone for 2026 is the rollout of the electronic identity. The e-ID will allow people living in Switzerland, as well as Swiss citizens abroad, to prove their identity securely online, facilitating access to digital public and private services.
As in previous years, the Federal Administration will align its activities with these focus themes and initiate concrete measures, all of which will be published in a public action plan.
Continuity and change compared with previous strategies
While the core structure and objectives of the Digital Switzerland Strategy remain consistent with previous years, the 2026 priorities mark a clear shift compared to the 2025 strategy.
In 2025, the Federal Council focused on:
- the legal framework and use of artificial intelligence within the Federal Administration,
- strengthening information security and cybersecurity across Switzerland, and
- promoting the use of open-source software in federal institutions.
These themes reflected a strong internal-technological and strongly AI-focused orientation, aimed at laying the groundwork for trustworthy digital tools, secure systems and modern administrative practices. By contrast, the 2026 strategy builds on these foundations and moves further towards strategic autonomy, international positioning, and citizen-facing digital services.
The emphasis on digital sovereignty and host-state responsibilities signals a broader geopolitical perspective, while the introduction of the e-ID represents a tangible step towards everyday digital participation for the population.
Dialogue as a cornerstone
A central element of the strategy continues to be structured dialogue with stakeholders. For each focus theme, the Federal Council organises advisory board meetings bringing together representatives from civil society, business, science, politics and public authorities. Each meeting is chaired by a Federal Councillor or the Federal Chancellor, ensuring direct political engagement. Since 2021, 13 advisory board meetings have taken place, underscoring the importance of inclusive governance in Switzerland’s digital transformation.
With the Digital Switzerland Strategy 2026, the Federal Council reaffirms its commitment to a coordinated, forward-looking digital policy—one that strengthens resilience at home, responsibility abroad and trust for users in an increasingly digital society.
D4P is a member of the ‘Swiss Internet & Digital Governance’ Association.
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