Parliament and the Federal Council can submit a counter-proposal to propose an alternative to an initiative.
There are two types of counter-proposal:
Parliament proposes a different constitutional article in response to an initiative. If the initiative committee does not withdraw its initiative, the counter-proposal is put to the vote at the same time as the popular initiative at issue.
In response to the initiative, Parliament does not propose an amendment to the Constitution, but an amendment to the act in question, or even a new act. An indirect counter-proposal allows the authorities to propose an alternative without directly amending the Constitution. If the initiative committee does not withdraw its initiative, the indirect counter-proposal enters into force in the event that the initiative is rejected.