Switzerland

Switzerland's economic and trade relations with the EU are mainly governed by a series of bilateral agreements where Switzerland has agreed to take over certain aspects of EU legislation in exchange for accessing part of the EU's single market.

The cornerstone of EU-Swiss relations is the Free Trade Agreement of 1972.

In order to qualify for preferential treatment, your product will need to satisfy the rules of origin under the agreement. Please check the interactive “Rules of Origin Self Assessment tool (ROSA)” in My Trade Assistant to assess whether your product fulfils the rules of origin and find out how to prepare the correct documents.

The rules of origin are governed by the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention.

In 1999  seven sectoral agreements were signed, known as ‘Bilaterals I’. They cover

  • free movement of persons
  • technical trade barriers
  • public procurement
  • agriculture
  • air and land transport
  • research.

A further set of sectoral agreements signed in 2004 (‘Bilaterals II’) covers

  • processed agricultural products
  • statistics
  • combating fraud.

There are more than 100 bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland, managed by over 20 joint committees.  The agreements oblige Switzerland to take over relevant EU legislation in the sectors covered.

In return for its partial integration in the EU's single market, Switzerland pays a financial contribution to economic and social cohesion in the EU Member States that joined after 2004.

EU-Swiss trade-related agreements

 

Find the applicable tariff rate for your product in My Trade Assistant.

The EU is Switzerland's main trading partner, and Switzerland is the EU's fourth largest trading partner.

More on the EU-Switzerland trade relations.

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