At its meeting of 20 June 2018, the Federal Council decided to waive the originally planned revision of the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad ("Lex Koller").
It is recalled that last year the Federal Council published a dispatch which would have led to a significant tightening of the Lex Koller. Under the impression of the largely negative consultations, the revision has now been stopped. Conclusion: The Lex Koller will not be abolished but also not tightened up and everything will therefore remain as it was.
Everything? Not quite: a parliamentary initiative to subordinate the strategic infrastructures of the energy industry to the Lex Koller (parliamentary initiative 16,498) is still pending. According to the bill, network infrastructures such as electricity grids, hydroelectric power and gas grids shall be subject to the Lex Koller. The Commissions for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy of both Councils have already approved the initiative. The discussion about the Lex Koller is not over yet.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
