Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications

The Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC, German: Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation, French: Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'énergie et des communications, Italian: Dipartimento federale dell'ambiente, dei trasporti, dell'energia e delle comunicazioni, Romansh: Departament federal per ambient, traffic, energia e communicaziun ) is one of the seven departments of the Swiss federal government, headed by a member of the Swiss Federal Council.

Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
(in German) Eidgenössisches Departement für Umwelt, Verkehr, Energie und Kommunikation
(in French) Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'énergie et des communications
(in Italian) Dipartimento federale dell'ambiente, dei trasporti, dell'energia e delle comunicazioni
(in Romansh) Departament federal per ambient, traffic, energia e communicaziun
Agency overview
Formed1848 (1848)
JurisdictionFederal administration of Switzerland
HeadquartersBern
Employees2,500[1]
Annual budgetExpenditure: CHF 9 billion
Revenue: CHF 815.3 million
(2009)[1]
Minister responsible
Websitewww.uvek.admin.ch
The building of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the Federal Roads Office and the Federal Office of Energy (2014).

Organisation

The Department is composed of the following offices:[2]

  • General Secretariat
  • Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE): Coordinates area planning between the federal agencies, the cantons and the municipalities.
  • Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN): Responsible for matters of the environment, including the protection of plants and animals and the protection against noise, air pollution or natural hazards.
  • Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA): Regulates civil aviation.
  • Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM): Regulates radio and TV stations, notably the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.
  • Federal Office of Energy (FOE): Responsible for the provision of electrical energy at the federal level, as well as for the supervision of dams.
  • Federal Office of Transport (FOT): Responsible for public transport at the federal level, including the development of the federal rail network and navigation on the Rhine.
  • Federal Roads Authority (FEDRO): Responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of the national highway network.

The following independent authorities are affiliated to the DETEC for administrative purposes:

  • Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (formerly Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and Investigation Bureau for Railway, Funicular and Boat Accidents).
  • Federal Communications Commission (ComCom): Regulates the telecommunications market, awards service licences, rules on interconnection disputes and approves frequency and numbering plans.
  • Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI): Responsible for inspecting low and heavy-current electrical installations.
  • Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (HSK): Assesses and monitors security and radiation protection in Swiss nuclear installations.
  • Federal Pipelines Inspectorate (ERI): Responsible for the planning, construction and operation of fuel pipeline systems in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
  • Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television: Decides on complaints about radio and television programmes.
  • PostReg: Regulates the Swiss Post.
  • Railways Arbitration Commission (RACO): Arbitrates in disputes over access to the rail network.

Name of department
  • 1848–1859: Department of Posts and Construction
  • 1860–1872: Department of Posts
  • 1873–1878: Department of Posts and Telegraph
  • 1879–1962: Department of Posts and Railways
  • 1963–1978: Department of Transport, Communications and Energy
  • 1979–1997: Federal Department of Transport, Communications and Energy
  • Since 1998: Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications

List of heads of the department

See also

Notes and references
  1. Swiss Federal Chancellery. "The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide 2009". Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  2. "The aims of the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (DETEC)". Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved May 2008. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
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