Ratification Process

Summary: Following the signing on 2 March 2026, the Bilateral Agreements III must pass through the parliamentary process and be subject to the optional referendum. The consultation produced an approval rate of 74%. A popular vote is expected for 2027 or 2028. Various political forces have announced a referendum.

¶ Political decisions: as of 6 September 2026

New political decisions checked on 6 September 2026; earlier background retains its stated reference date.

22.05.2026 — In its co-report, the Council of States foreign affairs committee rejected a mandatory referendum on the Switzerland–EU package by 8 votes to 5. This committee position does not settle the final parliamentary decision. Original source.

14.06.2026 — The sustainability initiative 'No to a Switzerland of 10 million!' was rejected in the popular vote. The 14 June ballot is complete; it was not a vote on approving the Bilateral Agreements III package. Original source.

04.09.2026 — The committee approved the stabilisation component by 9–3 with one abstention. It is ready for the Council of States’ autumn session; the electricity agreement is provisionally expected in winter. The committee supports the proposed immigration levy. This is not final parliamentary approval. Original source.

¶ The Path to Ratification

¶ Overview

¶ Timeline

¶ Consultation

The consultation took place from June to October 2025. The Bundesrat submitted the negotiation result to the cantons, parties, associations and interested circles for comment [13].

¶ Results

The 74% approval rate in the consultation is unusually high for such a complex and politically contentious package [13].

¶ Key Points of the Submissions

Approving:

• The large majority welcomes the package as securing the bilateral path
• Business associations emphasise the importance of single market access
• 22 cantons support the package [13]

Rejecting:

• The SVP fundamentally rejects the package (dynamic adoption of law, "foreign judges", cohesion contribution)
• Individual associations criticise specific aspects (e.g. state aid rules, costs)
• 4 cantons expressed reservations [13]

¶ Parliamentary Deliberation

¶ Jurisdiction

The package will be deliberated in both chambers of the federal parliament [1]:

• Nationalrat (200 members): First reading
• Ständerat (46 members): Second reading
• In case of disagreements: Differences resolution procedure

¶ Expected Majority Ratios

Based on the parties' positions in the consultation:

A comfortable parliamentary majority is likely, as only the SVP fundamentally opposes the package.

¶ Accompanying Legislation

In addition to approving the treaty package, Parliament must also pass the domestic implementing legislation, in particular [1][9]:

• Implementation of the 14 wage protection measures
• Adaptation of implementing legislation for the dynamic adoption of law
• Regulation of the cohesion contribution

¶ Optional Referendum

¶ Legal Basis

The Bilateral Agreements III are subject to the optional referendum (Art. 141 para. 1 let. d Federal Constitution). Within 100 days of the official publication of the parliamentary decision, 50,000 eligible voters or 8 cantons may demand a referendum [1].

¶ Who Is Planning a Referendum?

The sustainability initiative 'No to a Switzerland of 10 million!' was rejected in the popular vote. The 14 June ballot is complete; it was not a vote on approving the Bilateral Agreements III package. Original source.

There are also isolated voices from trade union circles that do not rule out a referendum should the parliamentary process water down the wage protection compromise.

¶ Popular Vote: When?

¶ Scenarios

The FDP and the Centre have indicated that they prefer a popular vote only in 2028 to avoid overlap with the 2027 federal elections. The Bilateral Agreements III could dominate the election campaign and lead to a polarising confrontation [14].

¶ Forecast

A popular vote is considered likely, as the SVP has the mobilisation capacity needed for a signature collection. The outcome is open, though the 74% approval in the consultation is regarded as a positive signal [13][14].

¶ EU Ratification

On the EU side, the package must also be ratified. The European Council and the European Parliament must approve it. An EU-side rejection is considered unlikely, as the package is the result of a negotiation process mandated by the European Commission [3][4].

¶ Sources

[1] FDFA (2026). Switzerland-EU Package (Bilateral III). Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. [Open Access]

[3] GTAI (2026). Agreements of the Switzerland-EU package signed. Germany Trade & Invest. [Open Access]

[4] European Commission (2026). IP/26/505. European Commission. [Open Access]

[9] admin.ch (2026). Wage protection: Measure 14. Swiss Confederation. [Open Access]

[12] SGB (2026). No to the SVP chaos initiative. Swiss Trade Union Federation. [Open Access] Note: Trade union.

[13] FDFA (2025). Consultation results. Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. [Open Access]

[14] Blick (2026). EU treaties probably won't go to vote until 2028. Blick. [Open Access] Note: Media source.

Political update: 6 September 2026; background reference: March 2026