Why the need for these agreements in the first place? The existing agreements with the EU (Bilaterals I and II) are over 20 years old. The Federal Council wants to consolidate and strengthen the bilateral framework with a new package, Bilaterals III, which ensures continued frictionless participation in the EU single market, the Swiss economy’s most important marketplace, and preserves freedom of movement, giving Swiss citizens the right to live and work in any country within the European Economic Area. What areas does the new package of agreements cover? The package consists of two elements: “stabilisation” and “further development”. Its first part contains five existing agreements that have been amended with regard to freedom of movement, land transport, air transport, agriculture, and mutual recognition of product standards. The second part (“further development”) features three new agreements on electricity, health, and food safety. As far as the EU is concerned, the whole set of agreements can only be ratified as a complete package and cannot be unpicked. Yet parliament could still decide to put Bilaterals III to the electorate in two stages. Where are the biggest sticking points? There is controversy on institutional issues like the adoption of EU law, or Swiss-EU relations – major decisions loom for parliament Switzerland has negotiated a new set of agreements with the European Union (EU). The federal parliament will now review and debate the package, which exceeds 1,000 pages – after which voters will have the final say. Some important and contentious issues are at stake. what to do when there are disputes between the two parties. In the case of agreements relating to the European single market, Switzerland will have to adopt any new EU rules. Referred to as a “dynamic” form of alignment, this is the same mechanism that applies to the Schengen Border Code. Switzerland will now have an informal say in developing such rules. President of the Swiss Confederation Guy Parmelin and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed the negotiated set of agreements on 2 March 2026. Both sides must now ratify the treaties – in Switzerland, this is the job of parliament and the electorate. Photo: Keystone Future generations of Swiss who wish to benefit from freedom of movement and emigrate to the EU will be affected. Swiss Review / July 2026 / No. 3 24 Politics
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