Council of States: yes to EU health agreement

Context

In brief

• Council of States: yes to the agreement on health
• Health: 31 votes in favour, 11 against, 1 abstention
• Health referendum: optional one chosen
• Electricity: exam objective in the winter session

Key Facts

• EU package → all approved decrees, except the electricity agreement
• Resolutions → a total of 24 hours
• Agreement on health → 31 in favor, 11 against, 1 abstention
• Referendum on health → optional; 30 in favour, 12 against, 2 abstentions
• Food security → 28 in favour, 14 against, 2 abstentions
• Electricity agreement → the work of the committee not completed
• Erasmus+ credit → 192.6 million from 2027

The vote on health

By 31 votes to 11 with one abstention, the Council of States today approved the new agreement on health and thus completed the examination of the federal decrees of the package of agreements with the EU, with the sole exception of the agreement on electricity, which is not yet ready to be dealt with. After a total of 24 hours of deliberations, the health dossier now goes to the National Council.

The health agreement is part of further developments in relations with the EU. It provides for closer cooperation between Bern and Brussels on health security, with the aim indicated by Elisabeth Baume-Schneider of better protecting the population during crises. The health minister recalled the experience of the pandemic: "Covid-19 has clearly shown that a pandemic does not stop at borders."

The new agreement allows direct, complete and permanent access to the EU's health security mechanisms and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. It also strengthens the ability to anticipate, prepare for and react to the spread of new virus variants. Flavia Wasserfallen (SP/BE), on behalf of the committee, stressed that the country fully retains its sovereignty when adopting health measures. The possibility of extending cooperation to other areas of health is envisaged, provided that it is in the interest of both parties. In the EU's multiannual programme, Switzerland will only participate in the area of crisis preparedness. This topic can be combined with information on LAMal/cassa malati, while keeping the parliamentary level separate from the information level.

The People's Party, supported by some elected representatives of the Centre and the FDP, was against the agreement. Esther Friedli objected to the presence of institutional elements in a treaty that, in her opinion, should be one of cooperation and not of access to the internal market. The proposal to submit the agreement to a mandatory referendum did not pass: with 30 votes to 12 with 2 abstentions, the optional referendum was preferred.

Like the stabilisation of the package and the agreement on food security, which was approved by 28 votes to 14 with 2 abstentions, the health dossier will therefore have to be examined by the National Council. In order to enter into force, the stabilisation section will have to enter into force as a whole. According to the Council of States, a yes vote from both chambers and a mandatory popular vote with a double majority of the people and cantons will also be required. At the end of the Bilateral III, Stefan Engler thanked the Federal Council, the committees and the parliamentary services for the marathon debate.

Operational details

Dossiers do not have the same calendar

The vote of the states does not close the entire package. The distinction counts in understanding when a parliamentary decision can enter into force: in the case of the electricity agreement, the procedure has not yet reached the examination of the Chamber of Cantons; in the other dossiers, the next step is the National Council and, for stabilization, the condition of the overall entry into force remains.

Electricity remains open

The competent committee has not concluded its work. Thierry Burkart has indicated the winter session as his objective, after more than twenty hours dedicated to the dossier and the hearing of numerous experts. The discussion does not concern an isolated technical detail: the disputed points are the complete opening of the market required by the agreement and the fear of a transfer of Swiss sovereignty over energy resources, in particular hydropower. The commission is also looking for a solution to maintain the minimum price of solar electricity fed into the grid by small plants.

These elements explain why the electricity agreement follows a different path from the acts already adopted. There is still no decision by the States on that text; the announced goal is to discuss it later. For those who follow the costo della vita in Svizzera, the point to be recorded is procedural: the examination remains open.

Erasmus+ and stabilisation

On the stabilisation front, the states approved the commitment credit of CHF 192.6 million for Switzerland's participation in Erasmus+ from 2027, by 23 votes to 19 with 2 abstentions. The vote shows that the dossier remains politically disputed. The SECC-S had called for the relevant decree to be approved by a narrow majority, while Guy Parmelin argued that the benefits clearly outweigh the costs. He also warned that a parliamentary refusal could be received negatively by the EU in the overall assessment of the discussions.

For the reader, the practical consequence is a multi-level sequence: an approved credit alone does not equate to the entry into force of the entire stabilization; the package remains linked to the outcome of the other parliamentary passages and the popular vote indicated by the Council of States. The game on health, food safety and electricity therefore do not have the same calendar.

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Key points

How to follow the next steps

For those who want to know when a decision of the Council of States becomes operational, it is advisable to follow a precise sequence. The EU package should be read as a series of dossiers, not as a single vote.

Four practical controls

1. National Council. To verify the passage of the health agreement, the stabilisation section and the food safety agreement. These are the dossiers that the Council of States has submitted to the National Council for scrutiny.

2. Applicable referendum. For health, the optional referendum has been chosen. For the entry into force linked to stabilisation, the Council of States instead indicates a mandatory popular vote with a double majority of the people and cantons. Do not confuse the two paths.

3. Overall condition. The health agreement will only be able to enter into force if the stabilization comes into force as a whole. Therefore, the mere vote in favor of a single decree does not close the procedure.

4. Winter session. For the electricity agreement, check the outcome of the work of the CAPTE-S and any examination in the winter session. Until then, the issues indicated by the commission remain open: complete opening of the market, sovereignty over energy resources and minimum price for solar for small plants.

A separate check concerns Erasmus+. The approved commitment credit concerns participation from 2027 and should be read within the stabilisation part, not as a conclusion of the whole package. Guy Parmelin's statements on the benefit-cost ratio and the possible negative judgment of the EU in the event of rejection explain why the credit has been carefully monitored, but do not replace institutional steps.

To organize the reading, three items can be noted for each dossier: competent chamber, type of referendum and condition for entry into force. It is the easiest way not to confuse the health agreement, already voted but not yet final, with the electricity agreement, still to be examined. To assess the effect of the decisions on your budget, use the calcolatore stipendio.

Source: swissinfo.ch