Protocol Regulations - Definition

1. This regulation establishes the hierarchy and customary rules that must be observed during official ceremonies, events, and relations.

1. This regulation applies to the public relations of the Canton of Fribourg in general and to those of the cantonal government in particular. The provisions are further detailed in directives if necessary.

2. The Grand Council and the judicial authorities issue their own protocol regulations.

3. For cantonal events with multiple authorities, the regulation of the organizing authority applies.

4. In relations and events with the Confederation, this regulation applies as a supplement to the federal protocol.

1. The hierarchy that must be followed at events, receptions, and visits organized by the State Council is described in the annex.

2. Outside the sessions of the Grand Council, the President of the State Council ranks higher in the hierarchy than the President of the Parliament.

3. Since the State Council is responsible for the external relations of the canton, it also presides over such events.

4. If two persons are of the same rank, seniority in function or assignment determines precedence, and subsidiarily, age determines precedence.

5. A member of the State Council may become President of the State Council only after all of her or his colleagues who were elected before her or him have held the presidency.

1. Generally, the highest-ranking speaker takes the floor last.

1. The order of precedence list is located in the appendix. However, it is recommended that, during ceremonial protocols, only the most important authorities and individuals with a special connection to the event are personally greeted, in order to not prolong the speeches. A general phrase is used for all other participants.

2. In general, only the first speaker extends a detailed greeting to the participants.

1. In processions in which the authorities officially participate, the order is generally determined by the hierarchy; exceptions are reserved.

1. The State Chancellery is responsible for the flagging. It may delegate this task to the Building Department.

2. The Fribourg flag is hoisted on the Town Hall, the historical building of the State Chancellery at 17 Chorherrengasse, and certain important cantonal administrative buildings on the following occasions

a) on National Day on August 1st;

b) on Corpus Christi;

c) during visits by heads of state or governments of foreign countries.

3. Flags are flown at half-mast during important periods of mourning (see Deaths and Funerals, Chapter 7).

4. The flagging or setting at half-mast may be ordered upon request by the Confederation under other circumstances, during significant events in the life of the canton or the country.

1. The cantonal banner with a gendarmerie picket (honor guard) is carried at the following ceremonies

a) Procession during the constitution of authorities at the beginning of the legislative period;

b) Swearing-in of the candidates of the police academy.

2. It is also carried at receptions organized in the territory of Fribourg in honor of the Federal President, a new member of the Federal Council, and the Presidents of the Federal Assemblies.

3. The State Chancellery may deploy the cantonal banner for other events.

1. The arrangements for receptions shall be determined by the Council of State upon the proposal of the State Chancellery and, if necessary, in consultation with the individuals and authorities concerned.

2. The State Chancellery maintains a list of the authorities that traditionally participate in the protocol events organized by the Council of State.

1. As a general rule, the Council of State responds to the requests for visits from ambassadors, which are addressed to it by the Federal Protocol (Protocol of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs).

2. The official reception is organized in the form of a meal, attended by the President of the Council of State, the State Chancellor (or the Vice Chancellor) accompanied by a staff member from the Foreign Relations sector at the State Chancellery.

3. The request for a visit is recorded in the agenda of a session of the Council of State. If there is interest, additional members of the Council of State may participate in the official reception.

4. Receptions of ambassadors are organized by the State Chancellery with the support of the Federal Protocol.

1. Career consuls whose jurisdiction includes the Canton of Fribourg shall be received for a meeting, upon request, by the Director of Security, Justice, and Sports.

2. This meeting shall be organized by their respective directorate.

1. In the event of a candidate from Freiburg, a delegation from the canton, led by a representative of the Council of State, proceeds to the Federal Palace on election day.

2. If a woman or man from Freiburg is elected to the Federal Council, the remaining members of the government immediately travel to Bern, and the Council of State typically extends congratulations to the elected individual in person on behalf of the canton of Freiburg.

3. A reception with refreshments is offered in the halls of the Federal Palace.

4. A reception is organized in the canton in honor of the elected individual.

1. Upon request, a reception shall be organized when the official train carrying the elected dignitary to their residential canton passes through the territory of Fribourg.

1. The State Council sends a congratulatory letter to the elected person and organizes a meeting with them.

1. An official visit of the Federal Council or one of its members is organized with a reception.

2. If the visit is organized by third parties, the State Council typically delegates one of its members if it is officially invited.

1. In general, every two years the Council of State invites the Chief of the Army and the higher-ranking officers associated with Freiburg to a meeting at which issues related to the army that are of interest to the Canton are discussed.

1. If a federal commission, typically presided over by a member of the Federal Chambers from Fribourg, convenes in the Canton of Fribourg, a meeting with a delegation of the Council of State is organized. The Council of State offers a meal.

1. In general, the Council of State receives a cantonal government for a courtesy visit each year and accepts the invitation of another government.

1. If these assemblies are organized in the Canton of Fribourg, they shall be prepared by the relevant authority.

1. The State Council hosts a reception on the first day of the regular session following the election, featuring a performance by the Landwehr Band.

1. Once a year, the government invites the former members of the State Council, the former Chancellors, the former Vice Chancellors, and their spouses to a meeting with a meal.

1. Once per legislative term, the State Council invites the office of the Grand Council and the judicial authorities of the canton to a networking meeting.

1. At the beginning of the year, in January, the State Council conveys its New Year wishes to the cantonal legislature, the cantonal judicial authorities, and the officially recognized religious authorities.

2. On this occasion, the President of the State Council delivers a speech; a representative of the legislative or judicial authorities and a representative of the religious authorities respond to it in a specified rotation.

1. Commemoration of the soldiers who fell in active service and the Battle of Murten is observed each year on the Sunday closest to November 11.

2. This ceremony is organized by the Fribourg Officers' Society, and afterwards, the Council of State offers an aperitif.

1. The State Council meets this person in full or with a delegation.

1. The State Council shall not be represented at events that take place on Sundays or public holidays unless it is a cantonal, national, or international event.

2. If the State Council accepts an invitation, it is generally represented by one of its members.

3. It may also be represented by the President of the Grand Council, the State Chancellor, a magistrate, or a head of department.

1. If the Council of State accepts an invitation from the Federal Council or another cantonal government, it shall appoint its representation in accordance with the wishes of the host.

1. In the normal case, the Freiburg government may only be officially represented if it has been invited by the government of that canton or if that government is also participating in the event. If necessary, the State Chancellery will inquire with the organizers about the participation of the authorities of the respective canton.

2. If a member of the Council of State participates in an out-of-canton event for personal reasons and at the invitation of the organizers, they are obliged to notify the State Chancellery of the respective canton.

1. The State Council typically participates with a delegation in the following events, which are traditionally organized in the canton and to which it is regularly invited

a) Reception of the new president or a new member of the government;

b) Reception of the new president of the Grand Council;

c) Swearing-in ceremony of the cadets of the police academy;

d) Dies academicus;

e) Commemoration ceremony of the Battle of Murten;

f) Twelfth Night of the Landwehr Music Corps and the Fribourg Grenadiers Corps and handover of the flag of the Cadre Noir et Blanc;

g) Cantonal sports and cultural festivals.

1. If such events take place in the canton, the State Council is normally represented by the head of the department that is relevant to the topic.

1. In general, the State Council may only be represented at regional or local events if they involve anniversaries or celebrations of significant historical events.

2. However, a member of the State Council who resides in or originates from a region may individually participate in a significant regional event.

1. Upon invitation, the Council of State may be represented at a bishop's consecration, the consecration of an abbot, the ordination or first mass of a priest, and the induction of a female or male pastor.

2. In the tradition of relationships with monasteries, the Council of State meets with the community of Altenryf every year and alternately with the communities of Capuchins and Franciscans every other year.

3. For religious ceremonies in the city of Fribourg

a) Upon invitation, the Council of State participates with a delegation in the major religious celebrations in the city of Fribourg (Corpus Christi, masses on Easter, the Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer, and Christmas).

b) In remembrance of the 1879 agreement between the Cathedral Chapter of St. Nicholas and the Council of State, an annual compensation is granted to the parish of St. Nicholas for the organization and conduct of religious celebrations to which the authorities are invited.

1. The State Council may accept participation in an honorary committee or assume the patronage of an event if it is of general interest and concerns the entire canton.

1. The State Council participates in ceremonies related to the death of a public figure in accordance with the principles outlined in the internal directives.

2. However, the wishes of the deceased person or their family, and where applicable, the relevant authority, shall be decisive.

1. An honorary wine is offered at international, national, and inter-cantonal events taking place in the territory of Fribourg.

2. At cantonal events, an honorary wine is typically only offered if it is a birthday or an anniversary.

3. The State Chancellery is responsible for the approval of the honorary wine.

1. The Freiburg Grenadier Corps, the Landwehr Music Corps, the Cadre Noir et Blanc, and the Amicale de la Batterie de Campagne 13 Fribourg constitute the four official corps of the Council of State and are available to accompany it or to represent the canton at official honors.

2. The State Chancellery is tasked with managing relations with these four corps.

3. The state may grant them annual financial support and/or pay them a symbolic fee for services rendered officially on behalf of the Council of State.

4. If these appearances take place outside the canton, the state may contribute to travel expenses, but only by prior arrangement. The remaining costs shall be borne by the organizers.

1. The State Council honors individuals residing in the canton on their 100th birthday.

1. The State Chancellery is responsible for the implementation of this regulation and the communication related to all events mentioned therein.