Switzerland has been following the bilateral path with the EU for 25 years
Published: Monday, Jun 17th 2024, 09:40
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Switzerland and the EU signed the Bilateral Agreements I 25 years ago. These agreements between Switzerland and its largest trading partner govern joint relations in seven areas. However, the agreements are no longer fully implemented due to unresolved institutional issues.
On June 21, 1999, Federal Councillors Joseph Deiss and Pascal Couchepin signed the joint treaties in Luxembourg on behalf of Switzerland and EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek and EU Council President Joschka Fischer on behalf of the European Union (EU). Prior to this, the two parties negotiated the agreement for around four and a half years.
The Bilaterals I govern relations in the areas of the free movement of persons, agriculture, land and air transport, research, public procurement and technical barriers to trade. The seven agreements were linked with a so-called guillotine clause. This means that if one of the agreements is terminated, the others would also cease to apply.
Agreement eroded
Because institutional issues, such as the assumption of rights and the dispute settlement mechanism, have not been clarified between Switzerland and the EU, certain agreements have eroded over time. Specifically affected are the agreements in the areas of research and technical barriers to trade.
Researchers in Switzerland were able to participate in EU research programs on an equal footing thanks to the bilateral agreements. However, this access was suspended by the EU in spring 2021 when the Federal Council broke off negotiations for a framework agreement. With the resumption of negotiations in March 2024, access to EU research programs is partially possible again.
With regard to technical barriers to trade, the agreement regulates the mutual recognition of certificates for 20 product sectors. Due to the development of EU law, this agreement is no longer applicable to all product groups. For example, the EU has not updated the medical devices chapter since 2021. This leads to additional annual costs in the millions.
Broad approval
The agreement signed in 1999 was put to the Swiss electorate for a vote on May 21, 2000. Bilaterals I were accepted with a majority of 67.2 percent. The texts came into force on June 1, 2002.
At that time, however, it was not referred to as Bilaterals I but only as bilateral agreements. The term with the number was only used when Bilateral Agreements II were brought into play. These were signed in 2004 and regulate areas such as asylum and internal security.
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