On 7 September, the European Parliament is scheduled to adopt a non-binding resolution criticising the “obstacles with regard to the full implementation of the internal market” set up by Switzerland, which is calling for the modernisation of bilateralism.

The resolution completes an own-initiative report drawn up by Polish Conservative MEP Rafal Trzaskowski, which the Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) endorsed by a very large majority, on 24 June, by 32 votes in favour and two against. It is to be submitted as is to a vote of all MEPs. “ We do not expect any surprises,” confirmed a collaborator of the Polish MEP.

European deputies were particularly interested in the functioning of the ‘Free movement of persons’ agreement concluded between Switzerland and the EU in 1999.

Their resolution “welcomes the progress made towards liberalisation of cross-border service provision” between the two partners. At the same time, however, it criticises the absence of an “all-encompassing agreement on the free movement of services” (Berne abandoned the idea of negotiating one) and, above all, criticises certain “disproportionate” supporting measures unilaterally implemented by Switzerland in order to combat wage and social dumping. They “make it difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to provide services in Switzerland,” underlines the text, quoting in particular “the obligation to provide prior notification with an eight-day waiting period,” to be respected by European companies wishing to post one of their workers to Switzerland.

More broadly speaking, MEPs are putting the spotlight on the stasis of several agreements between Switzerland and the EU and the differences in the interpretation of their provisions.

“Every effort should be made so that identical or parallel internal market rules are interpreted and applied in the same manner in the EU and Switzerland,” write MEPs.

In this context, they call on the European Commission and Switzerland to “look into developing a mechanism for a faster adaptation of the ‘Free movement of persons’ agreement to the development of the relevant acquis” or the setting up of an “effective dispute settlement mechanism,” among other things. They are thus on the same wavelength as EU member states and the Commission, which no longer want to prepare custom-made agreements for Switzerland.

Neither do they want to do the country any favours. Therefore, MEPs crossed out a sentence from the draft resolution presented to them, which demanded that, in exchange for its alignment with Community legislation, “Switzerland should be more closely associated with the European Union’s decision making process, for example by allowing it to draw up recommendations”.

It is, however, a condition set by the Swiss government in mid-August, in return for its agreement to negotiate the modernisation of bilateralism, the only strategy for European integration that it intends to pursue to this day.