Key facts
According to the debt brake introduced in 2003, the Confederation’s financing statement must not budget for more expenditure than expected receipts in cyclically adjusted terms. If higher structural deficits become apparent in the multiannual financial plan and these cannot be adjusted in the annual budget, the Federal Council decides whether it wants to put together a package of relief measures. If so, it instructs the Federal Finance Administration (FFA) to draw up a savings programme in the form of a separate dispatch from the regular budgeting process.