Due to the fact that an "advanced, more specifying regulation on the confederate level" (unofficial translation) is not in sight, Zurich's governing council with its decree of 14 March 2007 argued for the amicable arrangement of conduct rules with the euthanasia-organizations in the canton Zurich. The organizations shall make themselves subject to these regulations on a voluntary basis. The agreement is intended to be an intermediate step on the way to the introduction of a legal regulation.

The two euthanasia-organizations Dignitas and EXIT both have their offices in the canton Zurich. While Dignitas still opposes federal control of its work, EXIT, at the request of the governing council, has come to an agreement with Zurich's office of the district attorney concerning an "agreement on organized euthanasia"; for the purpose of quality management, this is being subordinated to specified framework conditions. The agreement pursues five goals:

1. Respect for the right to a dignified death
2. Guarantee of the right to self-determination
3. Assuming the care for persons at risk of committing suicide 
4. Orderly handling of the prescription/application of medications 
5. Orderly course of the examination concerning the causes of death. (unofficial translation)

In this agreement, EXIT commits itself to

• make transparent the organization and its financial means; this includes an annual inspection of the book keeping carried out by a statutory auditing division accredited by the state,
• administer euthanasia only under specified conditions, meaning only in cases where a severe suffering due to illness is present, where alternatives have been clarified and contemplated, where the self-determined decision is deliberate as well as permanent, where no doubts exist concerning the suicidal person's power of judgment, and where there are no indications for a psychic indisposition,
• adhere to a set frame for the course as well as the manner of euthanasia, which are being explained in a documentation file that is being given to the police officer and the public health officer arriving at the place of death after the suicide,
• exclusively use the medical substance sodium-pentobarbital (NaP), and to
• proceed cautiously as regards the selection of euthanasia-assistants and physicians of trust, to sufficiently educate these personnel as well as to allow each euthanasia-assistant as a general rule established in order to prevent a routine form arising to attend no more than twelve cases of euthanasia per year.

In particular, the canton Zurich commits itself to pay the "costs for the procedure regarding the examination of the suicide as an exceptional event of death" (unofficial translation) out of the treasury's means.