Simonetta Sommaruga attended the Lucerne Academy of Music and was managing director (1993 to 1999) and president (2000 to 2010) of the Swiss Consumer Protection Foundation.

She was a member of Parliament between 1999 and 2010, and served on several Committees, such as Economic Affairs and Taxation; Social Security and Health; and Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy.

As Federal Councillor, she was head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP from 2010 to 2018 and has been head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC since 2019. She served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2015 and 2020.

A quote on the subject:

„To introduce a CO2 price successfully, transparency about the use of the revenue is key. This is exactly what Switzerland will continue to do with the revised CO2 law: Like for the existing CO2 tax at least half of the new aviation tax will be refunded to the population. Another part of this tax will go to a new Climate Fund to support investments for a future without CO2.“