Swiss cantons back EU treaty package

The new "Bilateral III" package aims to update and deepen their relationship by covering areas like state aid, air and land transport, electricity, food safety, and Switzerland's participation in EU programmes such as Horizon Europe. The deal includes provisions on wage protection and a safeguard clause for free movement of persons, but its implementation is still pending the final approval and consultation process. Keystone-SDA

Swiss cantons approve the negotiated European Union treaty package, which they say meets their expectations and consolidates bilateral ties long term. But they expect the Swiss federal government to support them in tasks that will result from these agreements.

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In a vote during an extraordinary plenary meeting on Friday, the cantonal governments approved the EU treaty package deal by 21 votes to 4, with 1 abstention, a press release stated. They also voted in favour of an optional referendum on the four decrees, following the example of the Federal Council, by 15 votes to 10 with 1 abstention.

The results achieved by the Federal Council and the national implementation measures are in line with their expectations, the cantons said.

The package of agreements with the EU not only makes it possible to develop the bilateral path, but also to guarantee Switzerland lasting access to the European market and legal certainty.

However, the cantons warn that their position is not a blank cheque. As the agreements will have repercussions for them, they expect the federal government to support them in their tasks. They demand to be involved in the various processes, in terms of both foreign and domestic policy.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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