Sound and Image Recordings during Sittings 

The President of the National Council shall have authority over the Parliament Buildings and determine the internal rules of the house after deliberation in the President's Conference (§ 14 para. 1 of the Federal Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Council).

The President of the National Council shall be responsible for authorising sound and image recordings to be made during sittings, subject to the provisions of the Federal Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Council and the Rules of Procedure of the Federal Council, for sittings of the National Council or the Federal Assembly; the President of the National Council may also, after consultation with the members of the President’s Conference, issue guidelines in lieu of approval in the individual case (§ 21 clause 1 of the Internal Rules for the Parliament Buildings).

The President of the National Council has issued such guidelines as follows:

Sound and image recordings in the context of sittings of the National Council or the Federal Assembly are permitted under the following conditions:

1. The dignity of parliamentary bodies shall be preserved.

2. Parliamentary business must not be disturbed. The peace and order on the balcony and the gallery shall be preserved.

3. The legal requirements applicable to sound and image recordings must be complied with (in particular copyright, personality rights and data protection).

4. The contents of personal documents as well as on screens and other displays must not be recorded in a legible or recognizable manner.

The presiding President may restrict or prohibit sound and image recordings at any time. The instructions issued by the persons responsible for order and security tasks shall be complied with without delay in accordance with § 2 para. 2 IR.