On Thursday 20 February, the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade debated the agreements concluded last December between the EU and Switzerland, aimed at modernising relations by strengthening existing agreements and creating others, notably on health, air transport and electricity (see EUROPE 13550/11).
The MEPs questioned the EU negotiator, Richard Szostak, about compliance with environmental and health standards in future agreements on electricity and health, and about the complex ratification process in Switzerland. On this last point, he outlined the Commission’s expectations for Bern to benefit from these new agreements.
The European Parliament’s rapporteur, Croatian Željana Zovko (EPP), has in any case asked the Commission to help the Swiss partners convince their population of the benefits of these agreements, but also to communicate the risks.
The Commission’s negotiator made it clear that there would be no “return to the status quo” if the ratifications failed, “but a setback in bilateral relations”.
As a reminder, the package includes the updating of five agreements that already give Switzerland access to the internal market - air transport, land transport, free movement of persons, conformity assessment and trade in agricultural products.
Each agreement will reflect the development of EU legislation in the area concerned and ensure that it is dynamically updated. Agreements will include dispute settlement provisions and state aid rules will apply where appropriate.
The package also includes a new agreement on food safety, health and electricity, as well as a new agreement on Switzerland’s permanent financial contribution to EU cohesion. Switzerland will pay €375 million a year until 2036 and €140 million a year between 2025 and the entry into force of the package, expected by 2028.
A new agreement will also enable Switzerland to participate in several EU programmes open to the membership of third countries: Horizon Europe, Euratom Research and Training, ITER/F4E (Fusion for Energy), Digital Europe, Erasmus+ and EU4Health. Here, transitional arrangements have already begun on 1 January 2025.
Initially, the negotiator judged the negotiations to be balanced and to create a level playing field for Swiss and EU companies.
On issues that are sensitive for Bern, such as the free movement of workers, he felt that the Commission had responded to fears, with the Swiss having been granted a safeguard clause.
As far as health and environmental standards are concerned, the negotiator was easily able to reassure the MEPs, since Switzerland “already has high standards and will keep them”, which also facilitated the negotiations.
However, Richard Szostak also warned that while it would be up to Switzerland to decide on the method of ratification - “a compulsory referendum or not, a single vote or several votes” - the package of new agreements could not come into force “if the hard core” of the agreements on free movement and cohesion were not ratified.
He also pointed out that failure to ratify the package of agreements would also cancel the country’s provisional participation in EU programmes such as Horizon Europe. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)