Swiss Senate gives clear backing to EU treaty package

The Council of States voted 29 to 15 for the EU treaty package, giving Bilaterals III a clear first political victory in Parliament. After a debate that began at 2:38pm and continued for more than five hours, senators approved the proposal in principle at 8:41pm on September 28, 2026. The decision allows the chamber to move into the detailed examination of the agreements.

The vote followed the political divisions already visible before the debate. The seven-member Swiss People’s Party group voted against proceeding, joined by four German-speaking members from the Centre and Radical Liberal groups. The Social Democratic group, three Greens, the Green Liberal representative, and majorities from the Centre and Radical Liberal groups supported the package.

The result matters because the treaties would define the next phase of Switzerland’s relationship with its largest trading partner. The Senate’s decision does not complete the parliamentary process. It establishes that the chamber is willing to examine the package article by article, including the safeguards and conditions demanded by its supporters.

The package brings 94 EU legal acts, 18 agreements and protocols, and two joint declarations into one parliamentary dossier. Bern and Brussels negotiated the framework between March and December 2024, after years of disputes over how Switzerland should manage its close but non-member relationship with the European Union.

Most of the agreements were signed in Brussels on March 2, 2026, by Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The treaties cover areas that reach beyond trade and market access, including the institutional rules governing future cooperation.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, Economics Minister Parmelin and Justice Minister Beat Jans each addressed the Senate after the general debate. Their combined case lasted one hour. Senator Carlo Sommaruga, a Social Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, described the package as a compromise involving political parties, the cantons and social partners. He warned that rejecting it would gradually weaken the agreements already in force.

That argument reflects the practical concern driving much of the centre-left and business community’s support: Switzerland’s bilateral model depends on maintaining a stable legal and economic framework with the EU.

The next stage will focus on the provisions most likely to test the Senate majority. Senators are expected to debate the referendum question, wage protection, immigration, the dynamic adoption of EU law, state aid, and Switzerland’s participation in education and research programmes. The detailed discussion was expected to continue until Wednesday evening.

These issues explain why support for the bilateral approach does not amount to unconditional approval of every clause. Social partners and business organisations back closer institutional cooperation while seeking protections for Swiss workers and domestic decision-making. Centre and Radical Liberal senators also include critics who want the government to tighten or clarify parts of the agreement.

The Swiss People’s Party rejects the package as a whole. Its members argue that the treaties would weaken popular rights and place Switzerland under the jurisdiction of the EU. The party has also warned that the agreement would significantly increase immigration. For years, it has presented deeper relations with Brussels as a “treaty of submission”.

The government and the Senate majority face the task of preserving the package’s overall structure while answering concerns about sovereignty, labour standards and the scope of future EU rule changes. Those negotiations will determine whether Tuesday’s broad approval holds through the detailed vote.