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EU-Switzerland agreements: a decisive step forward for free movement and cross-border cooperation
February 2025
On December 20th, 2024, after more than ten years of negotiations, the European Union and Switzerland concluded a set of agreements aimed at strengthening their bilateral relations. These agreements, which have yet to be approved by the Swiss parliament, will have repercussions for Franco-Swiss cross-border cooperation and freedom of movement. Relations between the EU and Switzerland are governed by more than 120 bilateral agreements.
Negotiations on a single framework agreement were suspended in 2021 due to differences of opinion, particularly on the issue of the free movement of persons. Discussions resumed in March 2024, resulting in a set of sectoral agreements designed to facilitate Switzerland's access to the European internal market. These agreements will facilitate economic and social exchanges through transport infrastructure, health coordination, and energy supply.
One of the central points concerns the free movement of people:
The agreements stipulate that jobs in Switzerland cannot be reserved exclusively for Swiss citizens, thus ensuring that foreign workers, including cross-border commuters, enjoy the same pay conditions as their Swiss counterparts. Switzerland has obtained a ‘safeguard clause’ allowing it to ‘temporarily suspend this freedom of movement in the event of major economic or social problems’. However, this clause should not affect the mobility of cross-border workers, of whom there are many from France to Switzerland, as its activation is regulated and should remain exceptional. The new agreement will provide greater guarantees for the rights of cross-border commuters and Swiss expats: Swiss nationals will be able to ‘freely choose their place of work and residence within these countries and shall be treated largely on an equal footing with EU/EFTA nationals’. It should also be noted that Swiss nationals will have access to research areas in European programmes.
Financial commitment to cohesion:
Switzerland has also committed to making a financial contribution of 130 million (Swiss francs) per year in the field of cohesion for the years 2025 to 2029; then 350 million per year from 2030 to 2036.
Photo : iStock / SiyueSteuber
