Rapporteur : Matteo Luigi BIANCHI (IT/ECR), Member of the Local Executive of Morazzone (VA).

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (COR)

Introduction

1.

believes that the current complex geopolitical climate makes strong relations between the European Union (EU) and partner countries that share the same values and democratic principles even more necessary;

2.

wanting the EU to work more closely with European countries outside the EU, points out that Switzerland is an important partner and highlights the decades-long cooperation, linguistic and cultural ties and the significant trade and flow of workers between Switzerland and particularly the countries bordering it;

3.

points out that the EU and Switzerland are like-minded allies, and share the same principles and values, such as democracy, the rule of law, human rights, the protection of minorities, social equality and social and environmental sustainability; also points out that the EU and Switzerland are key economic partners with an interest in common economic prosperity, and are united in their commitment to tackling common global challenges;

Background

4.

points out that Switzerland is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and has been part of the Schengen area since 12 December 2008; also points out that in 2023, the EU was Switzerland’s largest trading partner, accounting for 59 % of Switzerland’s trade volume, while Switzerland ranked 4th among the EU’s top trading partners (6 %);

5.

observes that the figures in terms of movement of people are of great significance: around 1,4 million EU citizens live in Switzerland, making up around 16 % of its population, and around 400 000 Swiss citizens live in the EU. Around 340 000 EU citizens cross the border each day to work in Switzerland (1);

6.

points out that in order to structure these important political, social and economic relations, the EU and Switzerland have concluded more than 120 bilateral agreements over the past 50 years – the highest number of agreements that the EU has concluded with any third country; these bilateral agreements address, most notably, the free movement of people, mutual recognition of product standards, the liberalisation of public procurement markets, access for Swiss air carriers to the EU’s deregulated civil aviation market; the carriage of goods and passengers by rail and road; research; internal security, asylum; political cooperation and cooperation on innovation, culture, education, the fight against fraud, trade in processed agricultural products and the harmonisation of statistical data collection;

7.

notes that on 20 December 2024, after more than 200 rounds of negotiations, the European Commission and Switzerland concluded negotiations on a new broad package of agreements which included the update of five existing agreements that grant Switzerland access to the single market (on air transport, land transport, the free movement of persons, conformity assessment, and trade in agricultural products, including provisions on dispute resolution and State aid) as well as a number of new agreements that will allow Switzerland to participate in the European Space Agency, in programmes open to the association of third countries (such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, etc.), and in the EU’s internal electricity market (2);

8.

stresses that in relation to EU cohesion, Switzerland is to contribute an annual payment of EUR 375 million from the entry into force of the package until 2036, as well as a payment of EUR 140 million per year from 2024, towards development projects and projects aimed at reducing economic disparities across the regions of countries that have become EU Member States since 2004, providing opportunities for local and regional authorities (LRAs) in the EU in sectors such as the green transition, vocational training and innovation;

9.

believes that special attention should be paid to cross-border and multilingual regions where significant national or ethnic minorities reside; also stresses that involving less-developed regions in cross-border programmes and joint initiatives with Swiss cantons can help reduce regional disparities and promote social and economic cohesion;

The importance of EU-Switzerland relations for EU local and regional authorities

10.

draws attention to the close economic, social and cultural links between European regions and the Swiss cantons, which have been reinforced in a number of cases in formal cooperation bodies such as Arge-Alp (3), the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) (4), the International Lake Constance Conference, the working community Regio Insubrica, the institutional structures of the trinational Upper Rhine region and European groupings of territorial cooperation (EGTCs) set up across the various regions (5) to address common problems and challenges;

11.

points out that there are many issues that affect communities living in cross-border areas; regarding European territorial cohesion financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Switzerland participates in ten Interreg programmes with its own resources;

12.

notes that one of the areas of common interest is cross-border public services, which facilitate the day-to-day mobility of citizens, including students and a large number of workers (6);

13.

stresses that increasingly efficient cooperation between EU LRAs and Swiss cantons is needed to protect and preserve the biodiversity of lakes that are in cross-border areas, and are therefore of common interest and jointly managed;

14.

in cross-border regions, cooperation between EU local authorities and Swiss cantons is essential for ensuring that biodiversity protection includes large species and supports ecological connectivity; emphasises that efforts to preserve biodiversity and natural balance should be supported by effective coexistence policies that take into account public safety;

15.

points out that legal and administrative obstacles that limit cross-border cooperation between emergency services (7) need to be removed, and that areas close to borders often suffer unpredictable and extreme climate events that cause damage and inconvenience resident communities;

16.

highlights the initiatives of various European regions that demonstrate the need to strengthen relations with the Swiss Confederation at subnational level (8);

Enhancing the subnational dimension of the EU-Switzerland relationship

17.

welcomes the agreement reached between the European Commission and the Swiss Federal Council in December 2024 on the package of agreements. This package represents an important opportunity, not only to advance the bilateral cooperation and adapt it to a changed and complex international landscape, but also to safeguard the volume of trade in key sectors, such as the pharmaceutical, biomedical and metalworking industries;

18.

also notes that the package of agreements represents an opportunity to consolidate EU-Switzerland relations for the long term, and can therefore also provide a stable legal framework for cross-border cooperation between EU cities and regions and Swiss cities and cantons. It should be borne in mind here that bilateral agreements need to be dynamically developed and safeguarded by law in the long term in order to be fully effective;

19.

highlights the fact that EU-Switzerland relations can be stabilised, deepened and further developed through bottom-up cooperation on the ground;

20.

points out that the EU’s multilevel governance system and Switzerland’s federal structure, with its 26 cantons that have extensive powers in areas such as taxation, education, energy and cross-border cooperation, make the EU’s LRAs and the Swiss cantons natural partners. The cantons play an active role in international negotiations where their interests are involved, as was demonstrated in the negotiation process for the 2024 package of agreements. Similarly, the EU’s LRAs, represented by the CoR, play a key role in the implementation of many EU policies, especially in the regions along the border, where there is particularly close cooperation with Switzerland.

21.

highlights the fact that the CoR, in cooperation with the cantons, can help strengthen cross-border cooperation within the Schengen area by promoting resilience-focused and future-oriented policies in which local and regional authorities play a crucial role, through joint initiatives in areas such as security, mobility, regional development, migration management and the integration of legal migrants;

22.

calls for structured cooperation between the CoR and Switzerland’s Conference of Cantonal Governments, so as to incorporate a subnational perspective into the processes of implementing and monitoring the bilateral agreements, with a particular focus on the new package of agreements agreed in December 2024. Local and regional authorities can play a key role here, turning these agreements into real-life benefits for regions and local communities;

23.

would like to see the LRAs and the cantons being able to actively contribute to political, economic and social dialogue with their in-depth knowledge of the problems and potential of the cross-border regions, strengthening territorial cohesion and, while respecting Swiss sovereignty, bridging divides and supporting regional socio-economic development, while ensuring the highest level of consumer and environmental protection, fair competition, sustainable development, social security, economic progress and justice;

24.

stresses the importance of integrating the perspectives of local and regional authorities into EU-Switzerland relations, so that the policies respond to real world needs, and the specific features of the different regions are properly taken into account, contributing to an approach in which citizens are actively included and participate in EU-Switzerland relations;

25.

emphasises that enhancing the territorial dimension of the EU-Switzerland relationship also means that both the EU and Switzerland need to recognise the contributions and roles of the subnational levels of government, and that an active subsidiarity approach is adopted in bilateral relations;

Working towards the meaningful involvement of local and regional authorities in EU-Switzerland relations: specific issues

26.

identifies the following as priority policy areas for local and regional authorities in the context of EU-Switzerland relations: the free movement of people, the cross-border labour market, transport and mobility, innovation and research, food safety, civil protection, the prevention of health emergencies, security and regional development;

27.

points out that the integrated European electricity grid is a milestone in cross-border energy cooperation, and that Switzerland, with more than 40 cross-border power lines, is closely connected to the electricity grids of neighbouring countries. Intensified cooperation in the energy sector can support grid stability, security of supply, crisis prevention and electricity trade, and can support alternative sources such as hydrogen and renewable gases, contributing to the EU’s objective of net-zero emissions by 2050 and to decarbonising the electricity system. It could also ensure greater stability of the electricity grid, increased security of supply for both parties, and more efficient trading conditions. It should be emphasised here that ensuring energy security provides its own, fundamental added value under the agreement;

28.

calls for the EU programmes that support cross-border cooperation with Switzerland, such as Interreg, to be continued and bolstered in the next multiannual financial framework, and for access to these programmes to be made easier by cutting red tape and supporting small-scale projects;

29.

notes that the new package of agreements removes obstacles to cross-border economic and trade cooperation, and obstacles in the services sector, thereby supporting businesses and workers on both sides; in this regard, calls for the EU’s internal market rules to form a shared reference framework for the economic cooperation; calls for obstacles to be removed for EU businesses and workers that operate in Switzerland;

30.

highlights the importance of facilitating the cross-border mobility of entrepreneurs by simplifying and harmonising tax and trade rules and breaking down banking and insurance barriers; calls for businesses to be supported in setting up company welfare programmes that can help attract highly skilled workers;

31.

takes note of the excellent cooperation between research institutes and universities, particularly at regional and cantonal level; believes that this cooperation is important for strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and its capacity to innovate in an increasingly competitive world; therefore welcomes the fact that Switzerland can once again fully participate in Horizon Europe (the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation) and Erasmus+;

32.

invites Switzerland to consider participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, in accordance with the rules laid down for third countries, given the growing importance of cross-border cooperation in the field of civil protection; in this context, proposes jointly exploring options for potential participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM);

33.

stresses that cooperation between local, regional and cantonal authorities can help break down barriers arising from the differences in governance, administrative and fund management structures, contributing to innovative solutions. For example, cross-border ‘technical advisory groups’ could be created and promoted as functional and strategic structures for addressing shared challenges in planning and implementing actions and measures (including infrastructure projects) in border areas, particularly with a view to developing specific skills in operating within a varied regulatory and administrative framework involving multiple authorities.

34.

notes the Swiss example whereby institutional multilingualism is promoted in regions with multilingual populations, particularly in public services, education and vocational training, to ensure accessibility and equal opportunities for all citizens;

Working towards the meaningful involvement of local and regional authorities in EU-Switzerland relations: institutional aspects

35.

believes that the EU’s multilevel governance system, the principle of subsidiarity and Switzerland’s federal structure, with cantons that have extensive powers in areas such as taxation, education, energy and cross-border cooperation, make the EU’s LRAs and the Swiss cantons natural partners in a constructive dialogue;

36.

notes that, despite the many areas of shared interest, there is currently no formal cooperation arrangement between the European Committee of the Regions and Switzerland. Therefore, highlights the need to promote specific cooperation arrangements between CoR representatives and Swiss local and regional authorities in order to facilitate dialogue on issues of mutual interest, particularly in the context of cross-border cooperation;

37.

believes that the CoR and European local and regional authorities can help to ensure that citizens are properly informed on the benefits of strengthened cooperation between the EU and Switzerland, and contribute in the future to a more effective implementation of the agreements currently under discussion;

38.

calls for the CoR to be involved in the evaluation and implementation mechanisms once the package of agreements enters into force, and for mechanisms such as hearings, working groups and thematic dialogues to be formally established within institutional frameworks to gather the views of local, regional and cantonal authorities;

39.

highlights the importance of cooperation between political assemblies and asks that the CoR be invited as an observer to EU-Switzerland interparliamentary meetings and to be involved in the Parliamentary Partnership Committee to be set up by the European Parliament to implement and monitor the agreements.

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(1)   The European Union and Switzerland, EEAS.

(2)  On 2 April 2025, an agreement was initialled on Switzerland’s participation in EU programmes, which forms an integral part of the package of agreements negotiated in December 2024. The Commission will therefore propose Council decisions authorising the signing of these agreements and the conclusion of the package, including the agreement on EU programmes published on 9 April 2025.

(3)  Created in 1972, it is a ‘working community’ of ten regions, provinces, cantons and federal states in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

(4)   An EU strategy for the Alpine Region, Inforegio.

(5)  Switzerland participates in three European groupings of territorial cooperation: the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor EGTC; the European Campus; and the Wissenschaftsverbund Vierländerregion Bodensee.

(6)   CDR-2615-2020.

(7)   CDR-1609-2024.

(8)  An example of this in practice is the Regional Council of Lombardy’s Special Commission for Relations with Switzerland, in Italy.