The European Union and Switzerland reached a political deal on December 20, 2024 to overhaul their trade ties.
Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss business lobby hails recent EU deal
The Swiss Business Federation (economiesuisse) has welcomed the recent Swiss-EU deal to overhaul their trade ties. The new package of bilateral agreements will improve cooperation with Brussels and ensure a stronger position, federation officials declared on Tuesday.
Economiesuisse President Christoph Mäder told reporters in Bern that Swiss business circles had drawn a positive assessment of the package of agreements concluded with the EU last year, which will enable access to the European market to be consolidated in the long term.
More
More
The Swiss-EU bilateral treaty updates, explained
This content was published on
Switzerland has negotiated a new agreement with the EU, marking a new chapter in the history of a complex relationship. What is set to change?
Cooperation programmes negotiated in specific areas, such as research and development via the Horizon Europe programme, are extremely positive, says economiesuisse. The federation also welcomes the fact that a safeguard clause was integrated into the deal on the issue of free movement.
Specific proposals on how to implement the deal in Switzerland will now be decisive for the final evaluation of the bilateral agreements, it said.
In any case, the flexibility of the labour market will not be negotiable, added economiesuisse.
Strengthening Swiss attractiveness
Following recent signals from US President Donald Trump, economiesuisse believes Switzerland should boost its attractiveness. “We must overcome blockages and vested interests. Ensuring prosperity and security today requires a spirit of collective responsibility and courageous decisions,” said Mäder.
“More competitiveness, more security, more cooperation. This must be the direction for Europe and Switzerland in the years to come.”
More
More
Swiss Trade Union warns EU deal could threaten wages
This content was published on
The Swiss Trade Union Federation warns that the new bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU could threaten wage protection and public services.
The country’s budget must also be set on solid long-term foundations, which is the only way to create room for manoeuvre to invest in security and defence, he added. In this respect, business circles support the savings programme presented by the Federal Council, which must be maintained as it stands. All sectors must make their contribution, it says.
‘Strong UBS’ needed
On the question of banking, the business federation insists that Switzerland maintains a strong UBS. It would be a mistake to impose financial requirements on the bank that would prevent it from asserting itself in the face of international competition, said Mäder. “But that does not mean that we should not optimise and improve existing banking regulations,” he noted.
More
More
EU Commission president says Swiss-EU deal is ‘historic’ agreement
This content was published on
At a joint media conference with Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of a “day of joy”.
The president highlighted certain problems identified by the recent report of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into Credit Suisse, namely insufficient management, partial use of the supervisory instruments available to the regulatory body FINMA and poor cooperation between the authorities. A coordinated approach at international level is essential in terms of regulation, he added.
He also criticised the “environmental responsibility” initiative launched by the Young Greens, on which citizens will vote on February 9. If it passes, the proposal will lead to higher prices, consumption bans and a more restrictive regulatory framework, said Mäder.
More
More
Swiss ‘environmental responsibility’ initiative: essential for the left, unacceptable for the right
This content was published on
On February 9 the Swiss will vote on a popular initiative on environmental responsibility. It calls for adapting the economy to the planet’s ecological limits within the next ten years.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
Voters in Zurich reject pay rise for local politicians
This content was published on
Local parliamentarians in Zurich will not receive a pay hike after 53.2% of voters in the city came out against the plan on Sunday.
Minimum wage narrowly rejected in canton Basel Country
This content was published on
The Unia trade union initiative had called for a minimum wage of CHF22 ($24.20) per hour for all employees working in the canton.
Bernese voters accept counter-proposal to solar initiative
This content was published on
In the Swiss canton of Bern, there will still be no solar obligation for roof renovations in the future, but there will be one for large car parks.
This content was published on
Two-thirds of Swiss people feel that cohesion in the country is “rather weak”, according to a study. Some 83% of respondents even felt that the sense of community was declining.
Solothurn voters reject minimum wage of CHF23 per hour
This content was published on
Employees in the Swiss canton of Solothurn will not receive a minimum wage of CHF23 ($25.30) per hour. Voters have clearly rejected a left-wing popular initiative for a minimum wage.
Europe is stronger than often claimed, says Alain Berset
This content was published on
Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, sees the current international situation as a wake-up call for Europe.
This content was published on
Solothurn and Basel Country will vote on minimum wage initiatives, and Lucerne is deciding on lowering the voting age to 16.
This content was published on
The jury of the Prix de Lausanne dance prize has selected nine winners from 85 dancers aged 15 to 18. None was from Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.