Discussion weekend

On the weekend of 15–16 February 2025, the Citizens’ Assembly met for the second time in plenary to further explore the topic of “Health promotion & prevention.” Since the starting weekend in November, the 100 randomly selected participants from across Switzerland had been working intensively on this topic in several online meetings and had exchanged views with experts. With a solid understanding of the starting situation and an overview of various reform proposals, they came together again in Neuchâtel.

Day 1: Discussion with politics and the healthcare sector
On the first day, the participants gathered in the Jeunes-Rives auditorium of the University of Neuchâtel. A sunny, though cold, winter’s day on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel provided a fitting backdrop for the opening session, where an overview of the work completed so far was presented. In an interactive format, the so-called marketplace, the participants engaged with the seven reform proposals (PDF, 440 KB), which ranged from a national health law to the integration of preventive measures into basic insurance and the strengthening of incentives for health-conscious behavior. On pinboards, rotating groups reflected on and added to the proposals. Participants collected arguments for and against, visualizing them with green and red Post-its. This preparatory work laid the foundation for the afternoon discussions.

After the lunch break, which could also be enjoyed in the winter sun, two discussion rounds per reform proposal took place with actors from the healthcare sector and politics in group rooms. Both supporters and critical voices were represented, ensuring that different perspectives were present and that an open-ended discussion could take place. The first day concluded with an exchange with political actors.

The discussion with actors from politics and the healthcare sector about the reform proposals was extremely exciting. What I found particularly valuable was not only hearing their opinions, but also their expertise,” said participant Rebeca Meier from Glattpark, adding: “For me personally, this helped to adopt new perspectives – whether to further develop the proposals or to take a step back and reconsider the underlying problem.”

It was inspiring to see political actors, healthcare professionals, and randomly selected members of the public discussing and searching for solutions together. The Citizens’ Assembly provides a space for exchanging and negotiating different perspectives – a valuable experience for everyone involved. Barbara Gysi, President of the National Council’s Committee for Social Security and Health (SGK), emphasized: “It was extremely interesting to hear which questions are being discussed in the Citizens’ Assembly – in other words, the very questions that also concern the broader population.”

Day 2: Concrete development of the reform proposals
Sunday was dedicated entirely to deepening and refining the proposals initiated the previous day. After a joint discussion on the question “What do we want to achieve as a Citizens’ Assembly?”, participants continued working in groups on the specific reform proposals. The concrete proposals were then presented in plenary and discussed in depth – with strengths, weaknesses, and open questions all examined. By the end of the day, the Citizens’ Assembly decided which proposals were sufficiently well developed to be carried forward to the final weekend, and which approaches would not be pursued further.

What happens next?
On 11 March 2025, the Citizens’ Assembly will meet online for the last time before the final weekend at the end of March. In the upcoming sessions, the selected proposals in the area of health promotion and prevention will be further discussed and refined. At the final weekend, each of these proposals will be voted on individually. The results will be compiled into a report that will provide valuable input for politics and the public.

The 100 participants of the Citizens’ Assembly.

Political actors (present on Saturday afternoon):

• Barbara Gysi (Member of the National Council, SP)
• Giorgio Fonio (Member of the National Council, The Centre)
• Bettina Balmer (Member of the National Council, FDP)
• Fabien Deillon (Member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Vaud, SVP)
• Manuela Weichelt (Member of the National Council, Greens)
• Jörg Mäder (City Councillor of Opfikon, former Member of the National Council, GLP)
• Valérie Piller Carrard (Member of the National Council, SP)

Healthcare actors (present on Saturday afternoon):

• Anna-Sophia Beese (Careum)
• Diego Taboada (Avenir Suisse)
• Robin Rieser (Verbindung der Schweizer Ärztinnen und Ärzte, FMH)
• Felix Schneuwly (Comparis)
• Mirjam Weber (Krebsliga Schweiz)
• Thomas Szucs (Universität Basel)
• Michael Tschäni (prio.swiss – Der Verband Schweizer Krankenversicherer)
• Stéphanie Monod (Unisanté)
• Vertretung einer kantonalen Gesundheitsdirektion
• Simon Schnyder (Schweizerischer Gewerbeverband sgv)
• Nora Picchi (Syna – die Gewerkschaft)
• Nicolas Müller (Réseau Delta)

A project team at the Centre for Democracy Aarau is responsible for the organization and implementation of the 2025 Citizens’ Assembly.

An experienced team from Interface Politics Studies Research & Consulting AG is in charge of the process design and moderation of the 2025 Citizens’ Assembly. At the discussion weekend, additional co-facilitators were also involved.