Parliament has decided to abolish trade barriers for products licensed in European Union countries in an effort to lower prices for consumer goods.
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The regulations apply mainly to cosmetics, clothes, textiles, furniture and foodstuffs under the so-called Cassis de Dijon rule.
Both chambers on Thursday managed to iron out the final differences and agreed to give the Federal Health Office a say in the sale of food imported from the EU.
The government said the reform would boost competition, trigger economic growth and result in savings of about SFr2 billion ($1.9 billion) a year.
The Greens and the rightwing Swiss People’s Party spoke out against the amendment, arguing Switzerland should not introduce a rule without winning similar pledges from the EU.
Earlier this week parliament also agreed to adopt EU rules on product safety.
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The government faces criticism by farmers’ organisations which argue that a deal with Brussels would put the country’s agricultural sector at risk. Economics Minister Doris Leuthard will travel to Brussels on Tuesday to meet the European Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel, paving the way for talks on the free-trade accord. The negotiations – to…
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Switzerland has a turbulent relationship with the European Union. While many Swiss would be happy to join the EU, there are even more who are not interested as nationwide votes have shown in the past. (Keystone)
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