Economy

Bilateral Relations between Switzerland and the EU
The ‘Bilateral III’ package is intended to stabilise and further develop relations between Switzerland and the EU. The Federal Council adopted the package, which comprises nine draft agreements, on 13 March 2026. The EATC-S will hold its first de-tailed deliberations on 27 April and 4 May. SwissHoldings supports the Federal Council’s efforts to secure sustainable access to the EU single market, but emphasizes the need to safeguard Switzerland’s economic sovereignty and to carefully examine issues relating to integration policy.
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Free Trade Agreement
Free trade agreements (FTAs) are a key instrument for export-oriented Switzerland in diversifying its trade relations. The network of these agreements is constantly being expanded. Current milestones include the EFTA–India Agreement (TEPA), which entered into force on 1 October 2025, the EFTA–MERCOSUR Agreement, which was signed on 16 September 2025, and the adoption of the dispatch on the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EFTA states and Malaysia. The FTAs with Mer-cosur and Malaysia are expected to be discussed by the National Council during the summer session. SwissHoldings supports the consistent expansion and modernisation of Switzerland’s net-work of agreements
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Investment Controls
The bill aims to introduce investment controls in Switzerland. During the last winter session, the National Council and the Council of States agreed on a streamlined version that limits the scope of application to foreign state investors. The referendum period runs until 17 April 2026. The revised bill has made it pos-sible to avoid an excessive expansion of the scope of application and additional regulatory costs.
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Investment Protection Agreements
Switzerland has one of the world’s largest networks of bilateral investment protection agreements (IPAs). Investment protection agreements create a reliable framework for Swiss investments abroad. Following a change in the Federal Council’s practice, IPAs are now subject to an optional referendum. The IPA with Chile was adopted by the National Council during the 2026 spring session and will be considered by the FAC-S in mid-April. SwissHoldings welcomes the further development of the IPA framework
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Corporate Responsibility
In recent years, there have been many developments in the field of sustainability regulation – both in Switzerland and internation-ally. The EU has introduced significant simplifications with the adoption of the Omnibus I Directive. Following this, on 2 April 2026, the Federal Council submitted the Federal Act on Sustain-able Corporate Governance for consultation as an indirect coun-terproposal to the Responsible Business Initiative. The consulta-tion period runs until 9 July 2026. SwissHoldings will be partici-pating in the consultation. SwissHoldings supports internationally coordinated and proportionate regulation, but rejects the cur-rent counterproposal as the draft does not take sufficient account of international developments.
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Collective Legal Protection
The class action bill (21.082) has been rejected by the National Council and the Council of States. Instead, the Council of States has referred Postulate 25.3954, which instructs the Federal Council to examine whether existing conciliation and ombuds-man procedures can serve as an effective alternative to the in-troduction of class actions. The Federal Council’s report is expected in the coming months. SwissHoldings supports the pragmatic approach of the postulate.
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IFRS Standardization
The IFRS Foundation develops global accounting standards and oversees both the IASB, which sets financial standards, and the ISSB, which focuses on sustainability standards. In 2025, both standard-setting boards drove forward the development of sustainability and accounting standards, as well as related guidance and consultations. SwissHoldings is actively contributing to these developments through detailed submissions.
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Initial Situation of Switzerland as a Financial Location
In response to the CS crisis, the Federal Council presented a package of measures in June 2025 aimed at strengthening the stability of Switzerland’s financial centre. The first two consultation rounds on the package have already taken place. Two further rounds are expected in the first half of 2026. With Bill 26.027 amending the Banking Act, the first proposal in the package is on the agenda of the EATC-S for its meeting on 4 May 2026. From SwissHoldings’ perspective, there is a need for regulation that strengthens stability without tightening financing conditions for companies.
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Contact

Denise Anne Laufer

Head Economics, Member of the Executive Committee

 

+41 31 356 68 62
denise.laufer@swissholdings.ch

Dustin Rosenfeld

Economic Policy Manager

 

+41 31 351 90 72
dustin.rosenfeld@swissholdings.ch

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