01/04/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 1 April, the European Commission and Switzerland launched the bilateral agreement from the end of 2024, which covers the Swiss Confederation’s participation in the European Union’s Horizon Europe, Euratom Research and Training, Fusion for Energy/ITER, Digital Europe, Erasmus+ and EU4Health programmes (see EUROPE 13550/11). Transitional provisions have applied since the beginning of 2025 for certain programmes, such as Horizon Europe, while Switzerland’s participation in Fusion for Energy/ITER is scheduled for the beginning of 2026 and its participation in Erasmus+ from 2027. Switzerland’s association with EU4Health will become applicable once the bilateral agreement on health has been signed. Once fully involved, Swiss participants in these programmes will be able to receive direct funding from the EU and lead consortia in the same way as beneficiary entities from EU countries, said the European Commission in a press release. (MB)