Guy Parmelin and Ursula von der Leyen sign Bilaterals III
Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, has signed the third package of bilateral agreements alongside Ursula von der Leyen in her role as President of the European Commission. The Swiss government is expected to adopt the package in March and submit it to the Swiss Parliament for ratification.
Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, signed the third package of bilateral agreements on March 2 in Brussels. At the meeting, the two political representatives also discussed geopolitical developments, with a particular emphasis in this regard on trade, as detailed in a statement.
In this context, Parmelin also emphasized Switzerland’s interest in participating in any EU solution aimed at strengthening European competitiveness. According to the statement, Switzerland is keen to coordinate with the EU in an effort to contribute to strengthening resilience and innovation across the continent.
While Switzerland and the EU are neighbors on account of geographical proximity, Ursula von der Leyen underlines in her speech that they are partners by choice. She explains further that “the European Union is, and will remain, a reliable and predictable partner”. The bilateral agreements are said to be an investment in a joint future built around the pillars of trust, stability and common prosperity.
Back in November, Guy Parmelin, at this time in his role as a member of the Federal Council, and EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva signed an agreement on Swiss participation in EU programs in the fields of research and universities. As such, Switzerland has been provisionally taking part in these programs with retroactive effect from the start of 2025.
The Federal Council, the official name of the Swiss governement, is expected to submit the dispatch on the “Stabilisation and further development of Switzerland–EU relations” package to the federal parliament before the end of March 2026.
Source: swisstrade
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