Switzerland-EU: agreement on participation in European programs signed
The agreement on Swiss participation in European Union programs was signed on Wednesday. In particular, it governs the Confederation's participation in Horizon and Erasmus+.
On Wednesday, representatives from Berne and Brussels initialled the agreement on Swiss participation in EU programs. These include Horizon and Erasmus. This is the first step in the process of approving the package of agreements.
The agreement on EU programs was initialed for Switzerland in Brussels by the chief negotiator, Patric Franzen, and Michael Gerber of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SEFRI). It regulates the Confederation's participation in Horizon Europe, Euratom, ITER, Digital Europe, Erasmus+ and EU4Health.
"This is an important step in strengthening cooperation between the EU and Switzerland," writes the European Commission in a press release. Once the association has been concluded, Swiss participants in the programs will be able to obtain European funds directly and lead consortia with organizations from EU member states.
In the past, Switzerland was already associated with certain EU programs. However, following the conclusion of negotiations on an institutional agreement in 2021, it has been denied access to cooperation programs.
Provisional association
The new agreement on EU programs will only come into force once the overall Swiss-EU package has been ratified, according to the Federal Departments of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and Economic Affairs, Education and Research (DEFR).
However, the agreement can be applied early, enabling Switzerland's provisional association with Horizon Europe, the Euratom program and the Digital Europe program with retroactive effect from 2025, as well as with ITER from 2026 and Erasmus+ from 2027.
Participation in the EU4Health program is planned with the entry into force of the health agreement as part of the overall package.
Arrangement for Horizon
For the Horizon Europe program, a transitional arrangement has been in place since the beginning of the year, enabling Swiss researchers to participate in almost all calls for projects. To ensure that this arrangement does not expire, and that Switzerland remains associated with the program, the agreement on EU programs must be signed again this year.
The two parties have in fact only initialled the agreement," says the press release. This means that those responsible for the negotiations are certifying that the text is in line with the results of the negotiations. In Switzerland, formal signature is the responsibility of the Federal Council.
In Brussels, the European Commission needs the agreement of the member states for signature. So that the agreement can be signed this year, the treaty on programs has been brought forward compared with the rest of the package of agreements. According to the Federal Council, signing is scheduled for November.
Signature in the first quarter of 2026
The other agreements are due to be initialled in Berne in May. Signing will follow in the first quarter of 2026, after which Parliament will have to vote on them. In the event of approval, there will undoubtedly be a referendum followed by a popular vote. The date is not yet clear: some are talking about a vote in 2026, others in 2028.
The texts of the package of agreements announced on December 20, 2024 have not yet been published. They should be published as soon as the Federal Council releases its message for consultation, the FDFA told Keystone-ATS. This is expected before the summer.
Source: www.lenouvelliste.ch/
