Portrait

The National Economic Supply system (NES) comprises the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) and representatives from business, cantons and other federal agencies. The NES ensures the supply of critical goods and services to the Swiss population even during severe shortages.

Business and government cooperation

The NES brings business and government together to collaborate on measures to address shortages in specific areas. Playing a central role, experts from different business sectors contribute their experience in a secondary capacity (militia system). This approach draws on the skills and structures of the private sector in times of crisis. In today's globalised economy, ensuring the continued supply of critical goods and services to the population calls for a network of expertise.

For critical goods, actions can be taken to increase supply and manage demand. For critical services, the focus is on maintaining or prioritising services. In the event of a shortage, the NES will first take supply-side measures. These include releasing compulsory stocks, encouraging imports, or restricting exports. If supply-side measures prove insufficient, demand-side measures will be taken. These may include electricity quotas for large consumers or rationing of fuel or food. However, the private sector remains primarily responsible for ensuring national supply.

Preparation and intervention

The NES focuses its efforts on prevention and management.

Prevention

To delay state intervention in the market as long as possible, business and government work together to develop measures that build supply chain resilience. A key aspect of this strategy is the compulsory stockpiling of critical goods.

Management

If industry is unable to fulfil its supply mandate during a shortage, the Federal Council can intervene temporarily in market activities. In general, supply-side measures are implemented first.

Examples of management measures are:

• Release of compulsory mineral oil stocks
  In autumn 2022, a combination of historically low water levels on the Rhine and major issues in international rail transport threatened to severely restrict Switzerland's access to mineral oil products. Compulsory stocks were able to meet normal demand throughout this period.
• Increased capacity in road freight transport
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunday and night driving bans were lifted to increase road transport capacity for critical goods.
• Restrictions on rabies vaccine use
  In February 2024, in addition to the release of compulsory stocks, the use of rabies vaccine from compulsory stocks was restricted to people who had been exposed to the pathogen or were at high risk of infection for occupational reasons.

Principles

Cooperation

The NES is a collaborative system of government–business engagement. This combined expertise is used to develop crisis-proofing measures within existing structures.

Subsidiarity

Supplying the country with goods and services is normally the responsibility of the private sector. Government only intervenes with guidance if necessary when business can no longer adequately fulfil this responsibility.

Networking

The NES is managed by representatives from different sectors of the economy who contribute their market knowledge, expertise and networks. In this way, they make an important contribution to ensuring that government measures will be accepted, enforced and implemented.