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Switzerland launches consultation process for EU treaty

Federal Council approves EU treaty package and launches consultation process
Federal Council approves EU treaty package and launches consultation process Keystone-SDA

The Swiss government has approved the text of a proposed new treaty with the European Union and sent it out for consultation by the end of October.

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To implement the package, 32 federal laws must be amended and three new ones created.

Political parties, social partners, cantons, municipalities and other interested parties have until the autumn to comment on the package, the government announced. After that – probably in the first quarter of 2026 – the Federal Council will submit the mammoth bill to parliament.

A referendum in the election year 2027 or even later is considered certain in view of the fundamental opposition of the Swiss People’s Party.

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There is therefore still a long way to go before the treaty is implemented. Switzerland and the EU have therefore defined transitional rules on the scope of their partnership for the phase from the end of 2024 until the package comes into force.

According to the Federal Council, it will sign a joint declaration to this effect with the EU Commission in Brussels on June 24.

The agreement on Switzerland’s participation in EU research programmes is expected to be signed by the Federal Council in November.

This will enable Switzerland’s retroactive association to Horizon Europe, the Euratom programme and the Digital Europe Programme as of January 1, 2025.

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