The showdown over the EU treaty package in parliament is approaching. The Federal Council wants to make final adjustments to the domestic implementation by March - with the aim of getting the Bilaterals III approved by a majority in parliament and by the electorate.
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- Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis informed the public about the consultation on the EU treaty package.
- A central point of contention remains wage protection, in particular the improved protection for elected employee representatives, which is rejected by the conservative side.
- The Federal Council considers this protection to be essential and is counting on further talks with the social partners to work out a compromise.
The package of agreements negotiated with the EU was generally well received in the consultation process, as the Federal Council announced on Friday. A broad majority supported the package as a whole, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the media in Bern. "The bilateral approach remains the best of all options." It is a tailor-made solution for Switzerland.
With regard to the domestic implementation of the agreements, the national government still wants to adjust several points. The dispatch on the EU package, which the Federal Council now also refers to in parentheses as Bilaterals III, is expected to be submitted to Parliament in March 2026.
Waiting for a compromise between the social partners
One of the sticking points continues to be wage protection. A conservative majority rejects the improved protection for elected employee representatives demanded by the trade unions in particular, known as measure 14 of the domestic accompanying measures.
The national government considers the measure to be indispensable in order to keep the wage protection package in balance, said Cassis. Discussions with the social partners on a possible compromise solution should therefore be continued. "The Federal Council remains confident that the social partners will be able to reach an agreement," said the Foreign Minister. At present, differences between the employer and employee sides are still noticeable.
Both sides have very clear positions, said State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda, who is leading the negotiations. "Optimism is absolutely essential in this job," she said, referring to the few weeks of negotiations that remain.
Clarification of the safeguard clause
In addition to wage protection, there is also a need for further adjustments. For example, the structure of the much-discussed safeguard clause on immigration is to be clarified. Specifically, three further indicators with national threshold values are to be added, which should serve as a warning signal for a possible limitation of immigration: the housing vacancy rate, congestion hours and wage development.
Meanwhile, Vincenzo Mascioli, State Secretary for Migration, refuted fears that the adoption of the EU Citizens Directive could lead to immigration into the Swiss social security system. He expects only a small increase in social welfare payments, he said. The federal government is expecting an increase of 3,000 to 4,000 people from 2035 at the earliest, which would correspond to a maximum increase of 1.5 percent.
Overall, net immigration of EU/EFTA citizens has fallen by around eight percent in the current year, said Mascioli. "This shows that immigration is linked to economic development in Switzerland."
Switzerland's independence preserved
The Federal Council has made further adjustments in response to critical comments during the consultation process. For example, the federal government will fully cover the losses incurred by the affected cantons and their universities for four years because EU students have to pay the same tuition fees as Swiss students.
It is also important to the federal government that the cantons, parliament and the public are involved as much as possible in the future dynamic adoption of legislation. It wants to codify these procedures.
The representatives of the authorities also gave the all-clear with regard to other areas of application of the EU treaty package. In the electricity sector, the Federal Council will oppose further EU regulations - even if there is a threat of compensatory measures, said Benoît Revaz, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).
"Switzerland's agricultural policy remains independent," said Michael Beer, Deputy Director of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). EU representatives would not be inspecting Swiss farms in the future either.
The aim is to use these facts to strengthen the package's majority support, said Cassis. That is why these questions need to be clarified.