Bilateral relations Switzerland–Czechia

The two countries have very good political and economic relations and are linked by close human ties. Around 13,000 Czechoslovak refugees came to Switzerland following the Prague Spring of 1968 and built a new life for themselves. Czechia was one of the recipient countries of Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU.

Key aspects of bilateral relations

Switzerland and the Czechia maintain close diplomatic relations
and high-level contacts. Over the last decade, one of the priorities of
bilateral relations has been close cooperation within the framework of
Switzerland's contribution to the enlarged EU. Lively exchanges in a wide
variety of areas characterise cultural relations between the two countries.

Treaty database

Economic cooperation

Czechia is one of Switzerland’s main trading partners among the new EU member states and is an important country for Swiss investors in Central Europe. The volume of trade came to around CHF 4.6 billion in 2019. A total of some 120 Swiss companies operate in Czechia, employing around 28,000 people.

Trade promotion, Switzerland Global Enterprise

Swiss-Czech Chamber of Commerce

Country information, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO

Cooperation in education, research and innovation

Researchers from Switzerland and Czechia are working together on more than 100 projects under Horizon 2020.

Researchers and artists from Czechia can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists, SERI

Switzerland’s contribution to the enlarged EU

Czechia was one of the recipients of the Swiss contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the enlarged EU. By mid-2017, 38 projects had been implemented thanks to total funding of CHF 110 million. Roughly half of that amount was allocated to economically underdeveloped regions in the eastern part of the country. Czechia will also be among the beneficiaries of Switzerland's second contribution.

Czechia – A partner country for Switzerland’s contribution to EU enlargement

Cultural exchanges

As one of Europe’s cultural hotspots, Prague is a popular venue for
Swiss artists of all disciplines. Switzerland takes part in various theatre,
film and music festivals in Czechia.

Swiss nationals in Czechia

According to the Statistics on the Swiss Abroad, 1,459 Swiss citizens were living in Czechia at the end of 2019.

History of bilateral relations

Some 13,000 refugees from Czechoslovakia were taken in by Switzerland
after the Prague Spring of 1968.

The dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 resulted in the creation of
two new states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Switzerland officially
recognised the Czech Republic on the day of its foundation, i.e. 1 January
1993.

During the transitional phase of the 1990s, Czechia became a
priority country for Swiss aid to Eastern Europe. The Swiss federal government
provided funds totalling CHF 50 million in support of a series of projects.

Czech Republic, Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (de, fr, it)