Legal certainty

Legal certainty is a core rule-of-law value: individuals, companies and authorities should be able to know what the law requires and rely on it being applied consistently. In Swiss law it underlies requirements such as clear legislation, protection of legitimate expectations, non-retroactivity and predictable administrative practice. It does not make law immutable; legislatures may change rules, and courts may refine doctrine. But changes must respect fairness, publicity and proportionality, especially where people have arranged their affairs in reliance on existing law.