Commentaries: Art. 121

The Federal Council shall normally propose the acceptance or rejection of a motion by the start of the next ordinary session following its submission. It shall submit its proposal in relation to a committee motion that is submitted less than a month before the start of the next ordinary session by the start of the session following the next session.
If identical motions have been submitted by committees of both councils no later than one week before the next ordinary or extraordinary session, the Federal Council shall submit its proposal by the time the motion is discussed in that session.¹
Committee motions that request the Federal Council to enact or amend an ordinance based on Article 184 paragraph 3 or Article 185 paragraph 3 of the Federal Constitution or on a statutory authorisation to deal with a crisis in accordance with Annex 2 shall be placed on the agenda of the next or current ordinary or extraordinary session. The Federal Council shall submit its proposal in writing or orally.²
If one council rejects a motion, the motion is regarded as having been dealt with. If the council to which the motion has been submitted approves the same, the motion goes to the other council.
A motion accepted by the first council may in the second council be:
1. irrevocably accepted or rejected;
2. amended on the proposal of the majority of the committee responsible for the preliminary examination or on the proposal of the Federal Council.
If the second council makes an amendment, the first council may in the second consideration:
1. agree to the amendment;
2. stand by its decision to accept the motion in its original form; or
3. irrevocably reject the motion.³
If the first council in the second consideration stands by its decision to accept the motion in its original form, the second council may agree to this decision or irrevocably reject the motion.⁴
A motion accepted by the first council without the agreement of the second council shall be irrevocably accepted if:
1. it relates to organisational or procedural issues of the council to which it has been submitted; or
2. it is a committee motion and an identical committee motion is accepted in the other council.

Inserted by No I of the FA of 17 March 2023 (Improvements in the Organisation and Procedures of Parliament, Especially in Crisis Situations), in force since 4 Dec. 2023 (AS 2023 483;BBl 2022 301,433). ↩
Inserted by No I of the FA of 17 March 2023 (Improvements in the Organisation and Procedures of Parliament, Especially in Crisis Situations), in force since 4 Dec. 2023 (AS 2023 483;BBl 2022 301,433). ↩
Amended by No I of the FA of 18 June 2021 (Resolution of Differences in the case of Motions), in force since 1 Nov. 2021 (AS 2021 612;BBl 2020 9309; 2021 138). ↩
Inserted by No I of the FA of 18 June 2021 (Resolution of Differences in the case of Motions), in force since 1 Nov. 2021 (AS 2021 612;BBl 2020 9309; 2021 138). ↩

Art. 121

Footnotes

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