Switzerland's association with EU programs takes next step…
Negotiators from Switzerland and the EU have initialled the agreement on Switzerland's participation in several EU programs. Horizon Europe, Euratom and Digital Europe have been open to participants from Switzerland since the beginning of the year, while ITER will follow in 2026 and Erasmus+ in 2027.
Negotiators from Switzerland and the EU initialled the agreement on Switzerland's participation in several EU programs in Brussels on 2 April, according to a statement. Chief negotiator Patrick Franzen and Michael Gerber from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation initialed the document on behalf of Switzerland, while for the EU it was chief negotiator Richard Szostak and Signe Ratso from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
Switzerland and the EU plan to sign the agreement in November, but it only comes into force once the overall 3rd Bilateral Agreement package has been ratified. In other words, only following a corresponding referendum.
However, large parts of the agreement can be applied in advance. Researchers and innovators, for example, have had the chance to participate in the Horizon Europe, Euratom and Digital Europe programs since the beginning of the year. From 2026, ITER, an EU nuclear fusion research program, will be open to participants from Switzerland, and Erasmus+, a program that funds student exchanges, will follow in 2027. With EU4Health, participation is only planned once the overall package has been ratified.
Switzerland will transfer its annual contribution to the three programs that are already accessible once the agreement has been signed in November. ce/stk
Source: swisstrade
https://swisstrade.com/news