What the German press has revealed should be a wake-up call for Switzerland. While Brussels was promising to reduce bureaucracy, the production of standards reached an all-time high. If even German industry is denouncing a technocratic drift and growing legal uncertainty, why would Berne consider anchoring our law more firmly in this mechanism? Before any irreversible decisions are taken, we need to face the facts. Here's why.<\/p>\n
Source :<\/strong> Die Welt<\/em> (Germany), 3 February 2026 - Based on a study by the German industrial organisation Gesamtmetall, revealed by Welt am Sonntag<\/em>.<\/p>\n The article is crystal clear: while the European Commission was promising an \u00abunprecedented\u00bb reduction in standards, it was also promising a \"unprecedented\" reduction in standards, 2025 saw the adoption of 1,456 legislative acts<\/strong>, a record since 2010.<\/p>\n In detail: 21 directives, 102 regulations, 137 delegated acts and 1,196 implementing acts.<\/p>\n In other words: four new acts per working day.<\/strong><\/p>\n For German industry, already subject to intense global competitive pressure (from the United States, China and emerging countries), the regulatory burden is becoming structural. And it's no longer just a question of volume - it's a question of governance.<\/p>\n The most worrying point raised by Die Welt<\/em> concerns delegated acts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n These instruments enable the Commission to supplement or clarify existing legislation without another full parliamentary vote<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The former German European Commissioner G\u00fcnter Verheugen<\/strong> speaks of a \u00abgrey zone\u00bb that largely escapes democratic control.<\/p>\n In concrete terms :<\/p>\n For German industry, this creates permanent legal uncertainty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The crucial point is here:<\/p>\n Berne plans to incorporate into Swiss law mechanisms for the dynamic adoption of European law in several areas of market access.<\/p>\n However, if the flow of European legislation intensifies and becomes less predictable, Switzerland will not only be adopting rules - it will be importing them:<\/p>\n This raises a central question of legal sovereignty:<\/p>\n Is it possible to preserve the security of Swiss law while at the same time aligning with a normative order that is evolving at the same pace and using the same mechanisms?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The German article does not come from a fringe Eurosceptic circle:<\/p>\n It reflects concerns in the heavy manufacturing industry, the historic pillar of the German economy.<\/p>\n Here are a few structural elements to bear in mind:<\/p>\n1. The heart of the matter: delegated acts<\/h3>\n
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2. What this means for Switzerland<\/h3>\n
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3. Bureaucracy and competitiveness<\/h3>\n