EU Council Adopts Package of Bilateral Agreements with Switzerland

European affairs ministers of the European Union member states gave formal consent in Brussels for the conclusion of a new package of bilateral agreements with Switzerland. The decision, made in a deliberative procedure, signifies unanimous acceptance from all 27 members. The EU Council meeting was chaired by Cyprus's Deputy Prime Minister, Marilena Raouna, whose country currently holds the presidency of this body. „This package of agreements will strengthen our cooperation” — Marilena Raouna The package of agreements is intended to deepen the long-standing relations between the parties. According to the Council's statement, the agreements reflect a commitment to building a "stronger and more self-reliant Union" that remains open to the world. From the perspective of EU institutions, the key stage of negotiations and political acceptance has been concluded. Now, as observers note, "the ball is in Switzerland's court," and it must take the next steps on its domestic arena. Relations between Switzerland and the European Union are based on a dense network of around 120 bilateral agreements, negotiated since the 1970s. Switzerland, not an EU member, maintains special relations with it through sectoral agreements that grant it access to the single market in exchange for adopting EU regulations. The lack of a comprehensive framework agreement was the subject of years of difficult negotiations, which ended in 2021 with Switzerland breaking them off.The next procedural step will be the formal signing of the agreements by the European Commission, which, according to the Council's information, should take place in March. After signing, the documents will require ratification by the European Parliament and, depending on their nature, consent from the national parliaments of individual member states may be necessary. While for Brussels the matter is politically closed, in Switzerland itself, as the press indicates, doubts are growing, particularly on trade issues, which may influence the further course of the process.