Package Switzerland-EU (Bilaterals III)
Both Switzerland and the EU are interested in maintaining smooth and orderly relations. For Switzerland, tailored participation in the EU single market is important; for the EU, the integrity of its single market and equal rules for all participants are essential. This balance can be achieved with the Package ‘Stabilisation and further development of relations between Switzerland and the EU (Bilaterals III)’. Like the Bilaterals I and II, this package comprises a number of thematic elements, including new agreements and institutional solutions. Negotiations based on the package approach began in mid-March 2024. The substantive conclusion was reached in December 2024, followed by a formal conclusion in May 2025 with the initialling in Bern. In June 2025, the Federal Council approved the agreements with the EU and opened the consultation process. On 2 March 2026, the President of Switzerland and the European Commission President signed the agreements. The parliamentary phase begun following the submission of the dispatch to Parliament in March 2026.
Thanks to the Bilaterals I (1999) and II (2004), relations between Switzerland and the EU have developed over the past two decades to the benefit of both sides. The bilateral approach, embarked upon after Switzerland's unsuccessful bid to join the EEA in 1992, has shown itself to be robust and capable of achieving majority support. The EU is prepared to continue along this path, subject to the condition that the same rules apply to all participants in the EU single market. This also pertains to Switzerland with regard to those market sectors in which it participates – air and land transport, free movement of persons, technical barriers to trade, agriculture – or aims to participate in the future – electricity, food safety.
‘Institutional elements’ are to ensure the harmonisation of legislation. These can be used to stabilise the bilateral path and to create legal certainty. However, the Federal Council also wishes to expand the bilateral approach in order to support Switzerland's heavily export-based economy, improve the security of the population and ensure its prosperity. The approach is to be developed further to include participation in additional areas of the EU single market, such as electricity and food safety, as well as a new cooperation agreement in the area of health. At the same time, the Federal Council is seeking to safeguard wage levels, avert an influx of immigrants into the social security system, uphold direct democratic rights and preserve sovereignty. It also wants to strengthen Switzerland as a location for research and innovation, a goal the cooperation agreements on research (Horizon), education (Erasmus+) and culture are best suited to achieve.
The concerns of both Switzerland and the EU were put on the table and negotiated at the same time. The various elements provided room for manoeuvre in the search for solutions. The negotiations, which began on 18 March 2024 and were substantively concluded at the end of 2024, were formally concluded in May 2025. At the same time, discussions at domestic policy level were held with the institutional partners (cantons and Parliament) and social and economic partners. In June 2025, the Federal Council approved the agreements with the EU and opened the consultation process, which lasted until the end of October.
For the period from the end of 2024 until the package enters into force, Switzerland and the EU have agreed on transitional rules governing the scope of their partnership. The dispatch to Parliament was adopted in March 2026. The agreement on Switzerland's participation in EU programmes (EUPA) was signed by the Federal Council on 10 November 2025. This enabled Switzerland to be associated retroactively to Horizon Europe, the Euratom programme and the Digital Europe programme as of 1 January 2025.
Project organisation
On 31 August 2022, the Federal Council established a project organisation to strengthen the political and substantive management of Switzerland-EU relations under the leadership of the head of the FDFA. This organisation comprises
- the steering group in which all departments and the Federal Chancellery are represented,
- the core group, a smaller committee comprising the FDFA, the FDJP, the EAER and the FSC,
- the sounding board, an advisory committee that allows for the direct involvement of the cantons, social partners and the business community.
Documents
For more on this see
Content of the package Switzerland-EU (Bilaterals III)
The relations between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) have developed over the past two decades to the benefit of both sides, thanks to the Bilaterals I (1999) and II (2004).
Switzerland-EU package (Bilaterals III): Federal Council adopts dispatch
The Federal Council aims to stabilise relations with the EU and, where it is in Switzerland's interests, develop them further.
Contact
State Secretariat STS-FDFA
Federal Palace East
3003 Bern