Where to now for Swiss-EU relations?
After voters agreed to sign up to two key European Union's treaties this year, Switzerland is expected to clarify its future position with Brussels in 2006. The EU is urging non-member Switzerland to decide what kind of relationship it wants with the 25-nation bloc in the long term.The Swiss government plans to publish a report on that very question in 2006. In theory, the options range from doing very little – adding a few more treaties to two packages of bilateral accords already agreed – to full membership, which is a complete non-starter as far as the Swiss electorate is concerned. More likely is a "framework agreement", which would define more precisely how existing treaties are implemented, and lay the ground for closer ties later on.
The past year has been a surprising smooth one in Swiss-EU relations. The usually euro-sceptical Swiss voted convincingly to join the Union's Schengen and Dublin treaties governing cross-border police cooperation and asylum, and they also agreed to open gradually the labour market to nationals of the EU's ewer member states.
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