Special reservations under Art. 4 FoIA

The Freedom of Information Act needsto be coordinated with the provisionsof special federal laws that establishspecial provisions for access to officialdocuments. According to Article 4FoIA, special provisions contained inother Federal Acts are reserved wherethey declare certain information secret(letter a) or declare the access to certaininformation to be subject to requirementsderogating from those set out inthe FoIA (letter b), thereby renderingthe provisions of the FoIA inapplicableto access to such information.

Whether a legal provision takes precedence in the sense of a special provision pursuant to Art. 4 FoIA must be determined for each specific case by interpreting the relevant provisions.

Legislation (short form) and abbreviation	SR no.	Art./Para.	Entry into force:
Information Security Act (ISA)	128	Art. 4 Abs. 1 bis	(still open)
Dispatch on the amendment of the Federal Health Insurance Act (Cost containment measures – Package 2)	832.10 831.20	Art. 52c para. 1 and 2 HIA (draft) Art. 52d para. 4 HIA (draft) Transitional provision III, para. 5 HIA (draft) Art. 14^quinquiespara. 3 IVG (draft) Transitional provision IVG (draft)	Dispatch dated 7 September 2022 (Status: consultation in Parliament)
Ordinance on Additional Liquidity Assistance Loans and the Granting of Federal Default Guarantees for Liquidity Assistance Loans from the Swiss National Bank to Systemically Important Banks	952.3	Art. 6 para. 3	16 March 2023
Federal Act on Subsidiary Financial Aid to Support Systemically Critical Companies in the Electricity Industry (FiRECA)	734.91	Art. 20 para. 4	1 October 2022
Federal Act on Public Procurement (PPA)	172.056.1	Art. 48 para. 1 (explicit access provided); Art. 11 let. e (only considered a special provision during award procedures)	1 January 2021
Covid-19 Loan Guarantees Act	951.26	Art. 12 para. 2	19 December 2020
Federal Act on the Organisation of the Railway Infrastructure (OBI in German) (consolidation bill)
Railways Act (RailA)	742.101	Art. 14 para. 2	1 July 2020
Cableways Act (CabA)	743.01	Art. 24e	1 July 2020
Passenger Transport Act (PTA)	745.1	Art. 52a	1 July 2020
Federal Act on Inland Navigation (INA)	747.201	Art. 15b	1. Juli 2020
Intelligence Service Act (IntelSA)	121	Art. 67	1 September 2017
Foodstuffs Act (FoodA)	817.0	Art. 24 Special provision in accordance with the dispatch on the Federal Act on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles of 25 May 2011	1 May 2017
Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA)	420.1	Art. 13 Abs. 4 (see FAC ruling A-6160/2018 of 4 November 2019 E. 4)	1 January 2014
Banking Act (BankA)	952.0	Art. 47 para. 1	1 January 2009 (let. a and b) and 1 July 2015 (let. c)
Patents Act (PatA) Patents Ordinance (PatO)	232.14 232.141	Art. 90 PatO based on Art. 65 para. 2 PatA (see FSC ruling 4A_249/2021 of 10 June 2021	1 July 2008
Entry into force of the Freedom of Information Act			1. July 2006
Parliament Act (ParlA)	171.10	Art. 47 Abs. 1 (see FAC ruling A-6108/2016 of 28 March 2018 E. 3.1)	1 December 2003
Goods Control Act (GCA)	946.202	Art. 4 and 5 (see FAC ruling A-5133/2019 of 24 November 2021 E. 5.3.2.4)	1 October 1997
Federal Act on Direct Federal Taxation (DFTA)	642.11	Art. 110 para. 1	1 January 1995
Withholding Tax Act (WTA)	642.21	Art. 37 para. 1	1 January 1967
Federal Act on Stamp Duties (StA)	641.10	Art. 33 para. 1	1 July 1974
VAT Act (VATA)	641.20	Art. 74 para. 1	1 January 2010
Direct Taxation Harmonisation Act (DTHA)	642.14	Art. 39 para. 1
		See ACLFA 2016.1 (pp.1-14), issued on 26 January 2016: Tax secrecy and access to official documents
Federal Statistics Act (FStatA)	431.01	Art. 14 (s. Urteil des BGer 1C_50/2015 vom 2. Dezember 2015 E. 4.2 ff.)	1 August 1993
(Non-exhaustive list)

No special provisions under Art. 4 FoIA

Legislation (short form) and abbreviation	SR no.	Art./Para.	Entry into force:
Federal Act on Product Safety (ProdSA)	930.11	Art. 10 para. 4 in conjunction with Art. 12 (see FSC ruling 1C_299/2019 of 7 April 2020 E. 5.5)	1 July 2010
Auditor Oversight Act (AOA)	221.302	Art. 19 para. 2 (see FSC ruling 1C_93/2021 of 6 May 2022 E. 3.6)	1 September 2007
Telecommunications Act (TCA)	784.10	Art. 24 (see FAC ruling A-516/2022 of 12 September 2023)	1 April 2007
Federal Act on General Aspects of Social Security Law (GSSLA)	830.1	Art. 33 (No special provisions under Art. 4 FoIA in this case: see FAC ruling A-5111/2013 of 6 August 2014 E. 4.1 ff. and A-4962/2012 of 22 April 2013 E.6.1.3)	1 January 2003
Therapeutic Products Act (TPA)	812.21	(see FSC ruling 1C_562/2017 of 2 July 2018 E. 3.2 and FAC ruling A-3621/2014 of 2 September 2015 E. 4.4.2.3 ff.)	1 January 2002
Federal Act on Occupational Old Age, Survivors’ and Invalidity Pension Provision (OPA)	831.40	Art. 86 (see FSC ruling 1C_336/2021 of 3 March 2022 E. 3.4.3)	1 January 2001
(Non-exhaustive list)

(June 2024)