Glossary: Bilateral Agreements III

This glossary explains all technical terms and abbreviations used in the Bilateral Agreements III subject area.

Glossary

Term	Explanation
Acquis	EU acquis — the body of EU law that must be integrated into Swiss law in case of adoption.
APK	Foreign Affairs Committee — parliamentary committee for foreign policy and European affairs.
Bilaterale I	Seven sectoral agreements between Switzerland and the EU from 1999 (free movement of persons, research, technical barriers to trade, air transport, land transport, agriculture, public procurement).
Bilaterale II	Nine further agreements from 2004 (including Schengen/Dublin, savings taxation, fraud prevention, environment, statistics, media, pensions, processed agricultural products, education).
Bilaterale III	Planned 2024/2025 treaty package between Switzerland and the EU to stabilise and develop bilateral relations.
BV	Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation (SR 101).
Cassis-de-Dijon	Principle of mutual recognition: products legally marketed in the EU may in principle also be sold in Switzerland.
Cohesion	Cohesion contribution — Switzerland's financial contribution to economically weaker EU member states in return for market access.
Comitology	Comitology — EU procedure for adopting implementing acts through committees. Relevant for dynamic adoption of law.
EFTA	European Free Trade Association — (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein).
EuGH	Court of Justice of the European Union — the EU's supreme court. Reference authority for EU law in the dispute settlement mechanism of the Bilateral Agreements III.
Flankierende Massnahmen	Accompanying measures — Swiss wage protection measures against wage dumping by posted workers from the EU. Central negotiation topic.
Fremde Richter	Foreign judges — political catchword for the concern that a foreign court (CJEU) could influence Swiss law.
Guillotine-Klausel	Guillotine clause — linkage of the Bilateral I agreements: if one of the seven agreements is terminated, all others automatically lapse.
Horizon Europe	EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021–2027). Switzerland seeks full association.
InstA	Institutional Framework Agreement — failed CH-EU agreement (initialled 2018, abandoned 2021) that envisaged an overarching institutional solution.
Kohäsionsmilliarde	Colloquial term for Switzerland's contribution of CHF 1.302 billion to new EU member states (decided 2007).
Lohnschutz	Wage protection — measures to protect Swiss wage levels in cross-border service provision.
Marktzugang	Market access — Switzerland's right to participate in the EU internal market, based on bilateral agreements.
MRA	Mutual Recognition Agreement — agreement on mutual recognition of conformity assessments. Reduces technical barriers to trade.
Paketansatz	Package approach — negotiation strategy: all topics are negotiated as a comprehensive package, not individually.
Personenfreizügigkeit	Free movement of persons — the right of citizens to freely move, reside, and work in the territory of the contracting parties.
Rechtsübernahme	Dynamic adoption of law — Switzerland's obligation to integrate relevant EU legal developments into the bilateral agreements.
SECO	State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — responsible for economic policy, the labour market, and external economic affairs.
SEM	State Secretariat for Migration — responsible for migration policy, asylum, and free movement of persons.
Souveränität	Sovereignty — a state's right of self-determination.
Staatliche Beihilfen	State aid — subsidies and advantages granted by a state to enterprises; the EU demands disciplines to prevent distortions of competition.
Streitbeilegung	Dispute settlement — mechanism for resolving disagreements on the interpretation of bilateral agreements. Centrepiece of institutional questions.
Stromabkommen	Electricity agreement planned to integrate Switzerland into the European electricity market. Part of the Bilateral Agreements III.
Swissmedic	Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products — authorisation and supervisory authority for medicines and medical devices.
Unionsbürgerrichtlinie	Citizens' Rights Directive 2004/38/EC — governs the right of EU citizens to free movement. Partially subject of negotiations.
Ventilklausel	Safeguard clause — temporary limitation on immigration in case of above-average immigration levels.

List of Abbreviations

Abbreviation	Meaning
APK	Foreign Affairs Committee
BV	Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation (SR 101)
EFTA	European Free Trade Association
EuGH	Court of Justice of the European Union
MRA	Mutual Recognition Agreement
SECO	State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
SEM	State Secretariat for Migration

---

As of March 2026. All information is based on publicly available sources.