Summary: The Bilateral Agreements III are supported by a broad political coalition: FDP, Centre Party, SP, Greens, GLP, business associations, trade unions and 22 of 26 cantons. The consultation process yielded a clear majority of supporters among 318 submissions. The SVP and autonomiesuisse stand in opposition.
| Party | Position | Main argument |
|---|---|---|
| FDP | In favour | Securing the business location and legal certainty [1] |
| Centre Party | In favour | Pragmatic bilateral path, stability [1] |
| SP | In favour (conditional) | Wage protection compromise fulfilled, European cooperation [1] |
| Greens | In favour | European cooperation, climate and energy policy [1] |
| GLP | In favour | Modernisation of the bilateral path [1] |
| SVP | Against | Loss of sovereignty, "foreign judges", free movement of persons [2] |
The coalition of supporters thus encompasses all major parties with the exception of the SVP [1].
| Association | Position | Core argument |
|---|---|---|
| economiesuisse | In favour | Per-capita benefit of CHF 5,200/year to 2045 [4] |
| Swiss Employers' Association (SAV) | In favour | Single market access and planning certainty [1] |
| Swissmem | In favour | MRA update for the machinery industry [1] |
| scienceindustries | In favour | Research cooperation and regulatory framework [1] |
| Swiss Trade Association (sgv) | In favour (conditional) | EU market access for SMEs, but regulatory costs to be considered [1] |
| Organisation | Position | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| SGB | Conditionally in favour | Wage protection compromise as a prerequisite fulfilled [3] |
| Travail.Suisse | Conditionally in favour | Parliament must not water down the compromise [6] |
The trade unions support the Bilateral Agreements III on the condition that the wage protection compromise (14 measures) is implemented in parliament without concessions [3][6].
Travail.Suisse states [6]:
The adoption of measure 14 would remove Switzerland from the "black list" of the International Labour Organization (ILO), on which it has been listed for over 20 years due to insufficient dismissal protection for employee representatives. [6]
22 of 26 cantons support the package in the consultation process [1]. Four cantons expressed reservations, particularly regarding state aid rules and implementation costs (see State Aid Rules) [1].
The ETH Board, swissuniversities and the Swiss Academies of Sciences support the Bilateral Agreements III particularly because of the full association with Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ [1].
The consultation on the Switzerland-EU package yielded [1]:
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Submissions received | 318 |
| Of which cantons | 22 (in favour) / 4 (reservations) |
| Of which parties | 8 |
| Of which business umbrella organisations | 8 |
| Result | "Clear majority" of supporters [1] |
economiesuisse summarises the supporters' position in a cost-benefit analysis [4]:
| Factor | Costs | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Cohesion contribution | ~CHF 350 m/year | -- |
| Programme participation | ~CHF 950 m/year | Returns historically exceed contributions |
| Regulatory costs | Not quantified | -- |
| Single market access | -- | MRA: >CHF 96 bn trade volume [4] |
| Avoided erosion | -- | ~CHF 1.3 bn/year [4] |
| Electricity agreement | -- | Up to CHF 1 bn/year savings [4] |
| Per-capita benefit | -- | ~CHF 5,200/year to 2045 [4] |
Note: The cost-benefit analysis is from economiesuisse based on a BAK Economics study. autonomiesuisse arrives at a different assessment (see Critics and Opponents) [2].
[1] EDA (2026). Paket Schweiz-EU (Bilaterale III). Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. [Open Access]
[2] UNSER RECHT (2026). Bilaterale III -- um was geht es? Information platform. [Open Access]
[3] SGB (2026). Nein zur SVP-Chaos-Initiative. Swiss Federation of Trade Unions. [Open Access] Note: Trade union.
[4] economiesuisse (2026). Bilaterale III -- Die beste Option. Dossier Politik. [Open Access] Note: Business umbrella organisation.
[6] Travail.Suisse (2026). Einigkeit zwischen den Sozialpartnern über 14 Massnahmen. Travail.Suisse. [Open Access] Note: Employee organisation.
Last updated: March 2026