Consequences of coronavirus on Swiss civil proceedings

On the basis of its constitutional authority to legislate by issuing direct orders to maintain public order, the Swiss Federal Council on April 16, 2020 enacted a COVID-19 regulation affecting prevailing judiciary and procedural rules. The regulation sets out the possibilities and requirements for Swiss civil courts to make use of audio and video conferencing instead of the ordinary conduct of proceedings in person as ordinarily prescribed by the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure. These provisions came into effect on April 20, 2020 and are meant to stay in force until September 30, 2020.