The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin have signed a package of agreements to deepen and expand relations between the EU and Switzerland.
The agreements cover updated rules for air and land transport, free movement of people and the mutual recognition of conformity assessments — checks that products meet required standards, the European Commission announced on Monday.
It stressed the package also includes new deals on food safety, electricity, health cooperation, a Swiss financial contribution to EU cohesion, and Switzerland’s participation in the EU Agency for the Space Programme for Galileo and EGNOS, the EU’s satellite navigation systems.
Von der Leyen stated the package would “modernis[e] and deepen our ties across key sectors — from trade and transport to health and energy.”
What the package covers
A food safety agreement would create a common food safety area covering the whole food chain, the Commission said.
An electricity agreement would allow Switzerland to participate in the EU’s internal electricity market.
A health agreement would allow Switzerland to take part in EU mechanisms and bodies that address serious cross-border health threats, including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Early Warning and Response System.
The package also includes updated dispute resolution provisions in the EU-Switzerland agreement on trade in agricultural products, aligned with the latest free trade agreements that the EU and Switzerland are party to.
A separate agreement signed in Bern on 10 November 2025 opened the way for Switzerland to participate in several EU programmes, including Horizon Europe research funding, Erasmus+ education exchanges and EU4Health.
Negotiations on the broader package were launched in March 2024 and concluded in December 2024, with the signature intended to allow both sides to move forward with ratification.
