Geneva (AFP) – After years of negotiations, Switzerland and the European Union will next week sign a package of agreements aimed at simplifying and harmonising their ties, Bern and Brussels said on Wednesday. The Swiss government said in a statement that it had been informed Wednesday that Swiss President Guy Parmelin and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen “would sign the Switzerland–EU package of agreements (Bilaterals III) in Brussels on Monday.”
In Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters that the two leaders were set for an important signing ceremony. “The EU and Switzerland are about to finish a broad package of agreements that will deepen and expand our relationship with this very important and historical European partner,” she said. “This is, needless to say, very good news for the direct benefit of citizens, both…in the EU and in Switzerland.”
Landlocked Switzerland is not in the EU but is almost entirely surrounded by bloc members Germany, France, Italy and Austria. EU-Swiss ties are currently governed by a patchwork of agreements, and the two have for years been striving to nail down a broader cooperation agreement. Switzerland suddenly walked away from more than a decade of negotiations in May 2021, but the two sides picked up talks again three years later.
Those negotiations towards a package of accords to replace the more than 120 agreements that currently govern their relations were substantially concluded in December 2024. Since then, the two sides have incrementally signed portions of the deal, including on the EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) allowing the protocols on their cooperation within education, research, innovation and health to take effect last year. “Switzerland and the EU will now sign the remaining agreements and protocols on March 2, together with a joint declaration establishing a high-level dialogue,” Bern said.
These documents, it said, formed part of the “Stabilisation and Further Development of Switzerland–EU Relations (Bilaterals III)” package, which the Swiss government is expected to submit to parliament next month. That is unlikely to be the end of the road, however, as after passing muster with parliament it is expected to be put to voters in a referendum.
Pinho said Monday’s signing ceremony “will be an important step towards completing the ratification of this broad package of agreements.” “It will allow the EU and Switzerland to advance their respective ratification processes, including consultations with the respective parliaments, and in Switzerland, also by engaging with their citizens,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
