Federal Department of Economic Affairs

Federal Department of Economic Affairs
Agency overview
Formed	1848
Jurisdiction	Federal administration of Switzerland
Headquarters	Bern
Employees	1,919[1]
Annual budget	Expenditure: CHF 6.1 billion Revenue: CHF 271.8 million (2009)[1]
Minister responsible	Johann Schneider-Ammann, Federal Councillor
Website
evd.admin.ch

The Federal Department of Economic Affairs (French: Département fédéral de l'économie; German: Eidgenössisches Volkswirtschaftsdepartement; Italian: Dipartimento federale dell'economia) is one of the seven departments of the federal government of Switzerland, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council.

Organisation

The Department is composed of the following offices:^[2]

• General Secretariat, including the Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau FCAB (responsible for consumer affairs) and the Swiss civilian service agency (ZIVI).
• State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco): Responsible for national and international economic policy, trade negotiations and labour policy.
• Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG): Responsible for agricultural policy and for direct payments to Swiss farmers.
• Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET): Responsible for vocational education and training, Universities of Applied Sciences and innovation promotion.
• Federal Veterinary office (FVO): Responsible for animal welfare and health, the safety of food of animal origin and the implementation of the CITES convention.
• Integration Office (see FDFA above)
• Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES): Manages emergency supplies of essential goods and services.
• Federal Housing Office (FHO): Responsible for housing policy.

The following independent authorities are affiliated to the FDEA for administrative purposes:

• Price Supervisor: Price ombudsman and responsible for the supervision of regulated prices.
• Competition Commission: Swiss competition regulator.
• Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET): Provides training for vocational education professionals.

Names of the department

• 1848-1872: Department of Trade and Customs
• 1873-1878: Department of Railway and Trade
• 1879-1887: Department of Trade and Agriculture
• 1888-1895: Department of Industry and Agriculture
• 1896-1914: Department of Trade, Industry and Agriculture
• 1915-1978: Department of Economic Affairs
• Since 1979: Federal Department of Economic Affairs

List of heads of the department

1848–1853: Friedrich Frey-Herosé 1854 only : Wilhelm Matthias Naeff 1855 only : Josef Munzinger 1855–1856: Constant Fornerod 1857 only : Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel 1858 only : Constant Fornerod 1859–1860: Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel 1861–1866: Friedrich Frey-Herosé 1867–1873: Wilhelm Matthias Naeff 1873–1874: Johann Jakob Scherer 1875–1877: Karl Schenk 1878 only : Joachim Heer 1879–1880: Numa Droz 1881 only : Louis Ruchonnet 1882–1886: Numa Droz 1887–1896: Adolf Deucher 1897 only : Adrien Lachenal 1898–1902: Adolf Deucher

1903 only : Ludwig Forrer 1904–1908: Adolf Deucher 1909 only : Josef Anton Schobinger 1910–1912: Adolf Deucher 1912–1934: Edmund Schulthess 1934–1940: Hermann Obrecht 1940–1947: Walther Stampfli 1948–1954: Rodolphe Rubattel 1955–1959: Thomas Holenstein 1960–1961: Friedrich Traugott Wahlen 1961–1969: Hans Schaffner 1970–1978: Ernst Brugger 1978–1982: Fritz Honegger 1983–1986: Kurt Furgler 1987–1998: Jean-Pascal Delamuraz 1998–2002: Pascal Couchepin 2003–2006: Joseph Deiss 2006-2010: Doris Leuthard Since 2010: Johann Schneider-Ammann

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Swiss Federal Chancellery. "The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide 2009". http://www.bk.admin.ch/dokumentation/02070/index.html?lang=en 
2. ^ "Organisation of the FDEA". Federal Department of Economic Affairs. http://www.evd.admin.ch/org/00159/00336/index.html?lang=en. Retrieved May 2008. 

External links

• Federal Department of Economic Affairs official site