Brussels, 20/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and Swiss system soon to be linked. On Monday, the Council gave the European Commission a mandate to open negotiations with the Swiss Confederation at the start of 2011. These negotiations are likely to be relatively swift, the Council says. For a link to the Swiss ETS to be concluded, both the European Parliament and the Council must approve it. The EU trading scheme has already been extended to Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. (A.N./transl.rt)