Submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v Switzerland

This submission responds to the invitation by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Switzerland in its September 2025 Decision (CM/Del/Dec(2025)1537/H46-37) at para 5 that, inter alia: “invited Switzerland to consider the opportunity of establishing an independent national body suited to the national political structure to monitor its climate policy, mandated inter alia to issue recommendations to the political authorities, drawing as appropriate on good practices of other member States”.

Key messages

The submission synthesises lessons from existing climate advisory bodies, identifies design features that underpin their effectiveness, and outlines key recommendations to take into consideration in the design of such a body. The following design features are particularly important for the effectiveness of advisory bodies:

• Independence and transparency, ensured through members’ appointment procedures and operational arrangements for work programmes and budgeting.
• High quality and breadth of expertise among members is necessary to ensure the body is able to effectively conduct credible analysis across multiple relevant disciplines.
• Clarity and breadth of mandate matters: bodies with the authority to advise on targets and policies, and to conduct independent assessment of progress, exert greater influence.
• Sufficient and predictable funding shapes effectiveness, as evidenced by bodies supported by larger secretariats being able to conduct deeper analysis and engagement across a wider range of topics.
• Statutory obligations for governments to consider advice and to indicate their reasons for not following it improve effectiveness and accountability.
• Alignment with international commitments is increasingly incorporated into the scope of work by advisory bodies. Independent climate advisory bodies in the UK, France, Sweden and Finland, and at the EU level, help ensure consistency of national action with the Paris Agreement.