Here you will find media information on matters concerning European policy. Press releases and other information for the media from the various federal departments and offices can be accessed via the Federal Administration’s media portal.
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02.11.2017
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Press release
DEA
The exchange and mobility strategy aims to make exchanges and mobility a natural part of education pathways, career trajectories and extracurricular activities. The aim is to reinforce exchange and mobility programmes both from a qualitative and quantitative standpoint.
02.11.2017
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Press release
EDA
On Thursday, 2 November, President Doris Leuthard, held the now traditional talks with the future EU Council presidency. The themes addressed during the discussions with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Bojko Borissov and further members of the government included European policy, as well as bilateral and international issues.
19.10.2017
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DEA
The Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters and the European Commission held their 2017 Financial Regulatory Dialogue on October 19 in Berne. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Jörg Gasser, State Secretary for International Financial Matters, and Olivier Guersent, European Commission's Director General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. Participants included staff from the European Commission, European Supervisory Authorities, Single Resolution Board, the Swiss federal administration, the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Supervisory Authority FINMA.
10.10.2017
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Press release
EDA
Luxembourg and Switzerland have close, long-standing relations. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Grand Duchy’s first diplomatic representation in Switzerland, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, visited Bern on 10 October 2017 to hold talks with Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police. The discussions focused on aspects of European policy, migration foreign policy, European security policy, the fight against terrorism and cooperation within the United Nations.
09.10.2017
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Press release
EDA
The Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Didier Burkhalter, visited Lugano on Monday, 9 October 2017 for a working meeting with Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Angelino Alfano. Prior to discussing a series of pressing bilateral and multilateral issues, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Alfano opened the Forum for Dialogue between Italy and Switzerland, an initiative that seeks to strengthen ties between the two countries and promote an interchange of ideas in the political, economic, financial and cultural spheres.
On Friday, 6 October 2017, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer signed a declaration on eGovernment jointly drawn up by the EU and EFTA in the context of the Ministerial eGovernment Conference in Estonia. The declaration contains five core principles for eGovernment and is intended to be a guide for further development.
15.09.2017
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DEA
The Swiss authorities will receive a delegation from the European Parliament's PANA Committee on 15 September. The focus of the talks will be the current system and the ongoing work to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and tax offences.
Cross-border cooperation is crucial for efficiently combating the manufacture of and trading in illegal pharmaceuticals. Some 80 experts from authorities in 26 countries attended a meeting of the Working Group of Enforcement Officers (WGEO) in Montreux. The two-day meeting was organised by Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products.
During its meeting on 6 September 2017, the Federal Council initiated the consultation on tax proposal 17 (TP17). The proposal will make a significant contribution to having an appealing location and thus to added value, jobs and tax receipts. The reform will additionally meet international requirements concerning corporate tax law.
23.08.2017
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DEA
On 23 August, the Federal Council approved the agreements on Switzerland’s participation in the Eurostars-2 and the Active and Assisted Living research and development programmes. This means that Switzerland is once again a full member of both programmes and is co-financed by the EU. The programmes are particularly interesting for research-intensive SMEs looking to enter new European or global markets through cross-border cooperation. Switzerland’s participation in the AAL programme is one of the many measures that form part of the federal government’s Skilled Workers Initiative.
16.08.2017
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DEA
Switzerland and the European Union are preparing to link their emissions trading systems. The Federal Council approved the signing of the corresponding agreement at its meeting of 16 August 2017. The European Commission has also adopted proposals for the signature and ratification of the agreement and has submitted them to the Council of the European Union for approval. The agreement could be signed before the end of this year. Its ratification must then be approved by the Swiss and European parliaments.
07.08.2017
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Press release
DEA
President Doris Leuthard held talks with Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on Monday, 7 August. In addition to bilateral relations between the two countries, the main subjects discussed were Switzerland’s policy towards the European Union (EU) and global climate policy.
22.10.2014 —
Press release
DEA
Relations between Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the activities of the OSCE, the situation in Ukraine and policy on the EU took centre-stage at the talks between the British Minister of State for Europe, David Lidington, and the President of the Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, who received his guest on Wednesday for a working lunch at the Von Wattenwyl House.
22.10.2014 —
Press release
EDA
Relations between Switzerland and the United Kingdom, the activities of the OSCE, the situation in Ukraine and policy on the EU took centre-stage at the talks between the British Minister of State for Europe, David Lidington, and the President of the Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, who received his guest on Wednesday for a working lunch at the Von Wattenwyl House.
14.10.2014 —
Press release
DEA
Today in Luxembourg, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and representatives of the 28 EU member states signed a mutual understanding in the form of a joint statement on business taxation, thereby putting an end to a controversy which has put a strain on relations between Switzerland and the EU for almost ten years. The signing took place on the fringes of the joint meeting of the economics and finance ministers of the EU and their counterparts from the EFTA countries.
13.10.2014 —
Press release
DEA
The President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Bukhalter, received the President of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, on Monday 13 October 2014 during the latter’s official visit to Switzerland. Talks focused on relations and cooperation between Switzerland and Bulgaria, notably in the field of vocational education and training. The meeting, also attended by Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, included discussions on Swiss policy on Europe, Switzerland's contribution to EU enlargement and various topical international issues, especially those related to the OSCE, which Switzerland is chairing in 2014.
10.10.2014 —
Press release
DEA
Today, the chairperson of the joint committee signed decree no. 1/2014 on the amendment of Annex I to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU on the simplification of customs formalities and on customs security measures. The decree was approved by the Federal Council on 8 October 2014 and entered into force the day after it was signed.
09.10.2014 —
Press release
DEA
Am 9. Oktober 2014 fand in Gordola im Kanton Tessin eine Schulung für Vollzugsorgane der Flankierenden Massnahmen (FlaM) statt. Bundesrat Johann N. Schneider-Ammann sicherte den Vollzugsorganen im Rahmen der Veranstaltung Unterstützung zu. Regierungsrat Paolo Beltraminelli überbrachte die Grussworte der Tessiner Regierung.
11.07.2014 —
Press release
EDA
Unofficial talks regarding Switzerland's participation in the Horizon 2020 research programme took place on the fringes of a visit by the European Commission's Director-General for Research and Innovation, Robert-Jan Smits, to CERN in Geneva on 10 July. No official proposal has been made by the European Commission on Switzerland's renewed participation.
04.07.2014 —
Press release
EDA
Switzerland and the European Union (EU) have today signed an agreement on Switzerland's participation in the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM Libya). This agreement provides the basis for deploying a Swiss civilian border control specialist to Libya on a one-year mission.
02.07.2014 —
Press release
EDA
On 2 July 2014, the Federal Council adopted a report on the revised European Social Charter, following a postulate tabled by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States entitled: «Compatibility of the revised European Social Charter with the Swiss legal order». The report concludes that from a legal perspective it would currently be possible for Switzerland to satisfy the minimum conditions for ratification. The Federal Council will comment on the principle of ratifying the charter only at the next stage, once Parliament has taken note of the report.
01.07.2014 —
Press release
EDA
Today in Bern, the heads of delegation of Switzerland and the European Union (EU) initialled a mutual understanding on business taxation. State Secretary Jacques de Watteville and his EU counterpart Heinz Zourek, Director General of the European Commission's Taxation and Customs Union Directorate-General, agreed on its final wording. The understanding brings an end to a dispute that has strained relations between the two parties for almost a decade.
27.06.2014 —
Press release
DEA
Today the Federal Council approved interim measures in response to the unresolved situation regarding Switzerland’s association to Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The measures are designed to support researchers in Switzerland who are involved in projects and programmes financed under Horizon 2020 and who will no longer receive any funding from Brussels. The Federal Council’s stated aim remains for Switzerland to achieve full association to Horizon 2020 by the end of the year, if possible.
27.06.2014 —
Press release
EDA
Today the Federal Council approved interim measures in response to the unresolved situation regarding Switzerland’s association to Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The measures are designed to support researchers in Switzerland who are involved in projects and programmes financed under Horizon 2020 and who will no longer receive any funding from Brussels. The Federal Council’s stated aim remains for Switzerland to achieve full association to Horizon 2020 by the end of the year, if possible.
02.06.2017 —
DEA
The integration of greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector into the emissions trading scheme (ETS) is a necessary step in order to link the Swiss and European schemes. At its session on 2 June 2017 the Federal Council approved the Ordinance governing the acquisition and reporting of data from the aviation sector. In line with the intention of the European Union, it is only domestic flights in Switzerland or flights from Switzerland to member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) that are concerned.
30.03.2017 —
DEA
On 30 March Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, the head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), met European Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip, who is responsible for the digital single market, and the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström. The main themes included cooperation in the field of digitalisation and bilateral trade relations, particularly updating the existing bilateral agreements.
14.11.2016 —
DEA
The withholding tax agreement between Switzerland and the United Kingdom will be terminated on 1 January 2017. The agreement between Switzerland and the EU on the automatic exchange of information in tax matters will enter into force on that date. On 14 November 2016, Switzerland and the United Kingdom signed a corresponding agreement in London to ensure a smooth transition between the two models.
23.08.2016 —
DEA
Today, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer attended the informal working meeting of German-speaking finance ministers in Vaduz. He discussed current financial and fiscal policy issues with his counterparts Wolfgang Schäuble (Germany), Hans Jörg Schelling (Austria), Adrian Hasler (Liechtenstein) and Pierre Gramegna (Luxembourg).
06.07.2016 —
DEA
Today, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the introduction of the automatic exchange of financial account information with Iceland, Norway, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Japan, Canada and the Republic of Korea, and submitted it to Parliament for approval. The proposal met with widespread approval in the consultation.
29.06.2016 —
DEA
During its meeting today, the Federal Council adjusted the Financial Market Infrastructure Ordinance. The transitional periods for financial market infrastructures were extended by a year in line with developments in the EU.
The electorate of the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union in a referendum. The current regulations regarding Swiss citizens and companies will remain valid for the time being. A list of answers to frequently asked questions is available on the website of the DEA.
01.06.2016 —
DEA
With the gathering this morning of the one thousand randomly selected representatives of the public for the first trips through the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), the opening festivities for the world's longest railway tunnel have begun. For the festival involving half a dozen heads of state and government, everything is ready. More than 2,000 individuals from the army, police, federal government, Swiss Federal Railways, AlpTransit Gotthard (ATG) and private companies are in action. In addition, 300 media professionals have been accredited from around 20 nations, including the USA, Canada, China, Japan, Kuwait and Chile as well as Switzerland's neighbouring countries.
31.05.2016 —
DEA
Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard met the transport ministers of the Alpine countries today as part of the Zurich Process. The conference was held in Lugano this year to mark the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Transport ministers from the Alpine countries meet regularly to discuss issues of transport safety as well as the modal shift policy. The presidency passed from Slovenian infrastructure minister, Peter Gašperšič, to his Italian colleague Graziano Delrio.
13.04.2016 —
DEA
Today, Switzerland and the European Union (EU) have signed two agreements on Switzerland's participation in EUCAP Sahel Mali, the EU's civilian mission for the reform of the security sector in Mali, and in EUAM Ukraine, the EU advisory mission for civilian security sector reform in Ukraine. These two agreements form the basis for the secondment of Swiss civilian experts to these missions.