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In December 2020, Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr (left) warned the department spokespersons and general secretaries of further leaks.
Reza RafiDeputy Editor-in-Chief SonntagsBlick
The affair surrounding the indiscretions from the health department has many losers. The guild of communication people in public administration is also affected. You have been under general suspicion since the emails from Alain Berset’s (50) former spokesman Peter Lauener (52) became public, the trust seems to be gone.
And since the Federal President announced on Wednesday that he had no knowledge of the activities of his former intimate, observers have been rubbing their eyes – were the obvious leaks in the health department never worth discussing?
As it now turns out, the internals that ended up in the media were definitely an issue in the federal administration. What’s more, some department spokesmen must have had their nerves on edge.
This is shown by excerpts from the minutes of the Conference of Information Services (KID) from 2019 to 2022, which are available on SonntagsBlick. The KID is a monthly meeting of all those responsible for information in the departments, the Federal Chancellery (BK) and the parliamentary services. The body is headed by Vice Chancellor and Federal Council spokesman André Simonazzi (55).
The topic of indiscretions was on the agenda at least six times in the period from 2019 to 2022. The focus has long since not only been on health issues and Berset’s husband Peter Lauener (52).
In the KID meeting on April 18, 2019, i.e. before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, it said: “The topic of indiscretions will be addressed again.” At that time, Simonazzi left it at an appeal. Everyone must ensure that the “rules of the game” are observed internally, “namely that indiscretions are unacceptable and do not contribute to the credibility of the government”. The day before, the “NZZ” had reported in connection with the debate about covert observations by social security funds that the Federal Council “is reportedly planning changes” to the corresponding ordinance.
On August 29, 2019, Simonazzi felt the need to warn again: “The departments are made aware that the Federal Council does not tolerate indiscretions.”
The call had had no effect. On December 1, 2020, the Tamedia newspapers reported that the federal intelligence service had recently been monitoring “animal rights activists as well”. On the same day, the CH-Media-Blätter knew that the WEF had “informed two federal councilors about a possible move to Singapore”, which also “provides a topic for discussion in the government”.
“Such behavior is unacceptable”
Two weeks later the KID met. “There are still many indiscretions in the media about the meetings of the Federal Council,” it is recorded. “In doing so, attempts are often made to put one’s own boss in a good light and to denigrate other members of the Federal Council.”
Simonazzi complained that this would make the executive’s job more difficult. He warned of a loss of confidence in the government “if the image of one or more members of the Federal Council were tarnished or the public got the impression that the Federal Council was at odds”.
The Federal Council spokesman therefore appealed again to refrain from indiscretions and felt compelled to give his colleagues a task: the media spokesman should spread his admonition in the general secretariats and the offices. As can be seen from the minutes, Simonazzi also made representations to Chancellor Walter Thurnherr (59). In December 2020 – the pandemic had now lasted a good year – he personally addressed the general secretaries of the departments with a warning.
Nevertheless, in the weeks and months that followed, confidential information continued to trickle through to the media in a cheerful manner. On February 27, 2021, the “Switzerland at the weekend” reported that the “terrace dispute between the federal government and the cantons” was over – “but the dispute over competencies continues, as research shows”.
The leaks did not seem conducive to internal sentiment. On March 3, 2021, the report states that leaks “in no way serve a transparent communication policy” and that it is “pure manipulation with simultaneous instrumentalization of the media”.
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KID members were asked to “think about what could be done” to stop the trickle.
At the same time, special investigator Peter Marti (72) began his work. Among other things, employees of the foreign department and Berset’s husband Peter Lauener (52), who was jailed for four days because of Marti, were targeted. On June 6, 2022, Lauener left the interior department.
Marti’s investigations also occupied the media spokesman: On September 14, 2022, the KID said that the subject of indiscretions had been discussed again “due to the recent events of this summer, which affected two information services”. “It is very strongly emphasized that indiscretions are extremely damaging to the activities of the Federal Council, are particularly disadvantageous and can be severely sanctioned.”
In response, Thurnherr’s Federal Chancellery sent the brochure with the internal guidelines “immediately” in two languages to all information services in the departments. The BK gave the order “to conduct an internal discussion on this subject” and to report to the Vice Chancellor.
At the following KID meeting on October 13, 2022, the balance was taken: “The departments have all discussed this topic internally to clearly remind everyone that such behavior is not acceptable.”
Last Wednesday, Simonazzi whitewashed Alain Berset in front of the media and had to explain that the Federal President had “no knowledge” of indiscretions.