Revision Of The Swiss Civil Procedure Code

On 26 February 2020, the Swiss Federal Council published the draft bill for a light revision of the Swiss Civil Procedure Code ("CPC"). The proposed revision aims at further enhancing  the practical application of the CPC and facilitating the enforcement of rights while retaining tried and tested concepts and principles, including cantonal autonomy in court organization. Key amendments include the reduction of cost barriers and the introduction of an in-house privilege in civil proceedings, whereas the controversial proposals to strengthen the means of collective redress were removed from the draft bill and will be dealt with separately.

Overview

The CPC entered into force on 1 January 2011 and unified the procedural law for Swiss civil proceedings at federal level for the first time. While the CPC is widely regarded as a legislative success, the purpose of the revision is selectively to correct a few perceived weaknesses of this relatively recent codification.