Council of States approves EU healthcare agreement

Context

In brief

• Council of States approves health agreement
• The dossier now goes to the National Council
• The chosen referendum is the optional one
• Electricity remains to be examined

Key Facts

• Agreement on health → 31 votes to 11, 1 abstention
• Resolutions → a total of 24 hours
• EU access → direct, complete and permanent
• EU multiannual programme → crisis preparedness only
• Food security → 28 votes to 14, 2 abstentions
• Electricity → exam objective in the winter session

The vote and the content of the agreement

By 31 votes to 11 with one abstention, the Council of States today approved the new health agreement with the European Union. The dossier now goes to the National Council. With the exception of the electricity agreement, the Chamber of Cantons has thus completed its examination of the federal decrees of the EU package.

The deliberations lasted a total of 24 hours and took centre stage in the last week of the session. The health agreement is part of further developments in relations with Brussels and aims for closer cooperation on health security. For Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, the result serves to better protect the population in health crises.

"Covid-19 has clearly shown that a pandemic does not stop at borders," said the Federal Councillor. Switzerland's geographical location, according to Baume-Schneider, makes it necessary to have close exchanges with the European authorities. The agreement provides for direct, complete and permanent access to the EU's health security mechanisms and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The text also strengthens the ability to anticipate, prepare for and react to the spread of new virus variants. However, Switzerland retains its sovereignty in the adoption of health measures, Flavia Wasserfallen stressed on behalf of the committee. The agreement focuses on health security, but allows for a possible extension to other areas of health if it is in the interest of both parties. In the EU's multiannual programme, Switzerland's participation would only cover crisis preparedness.

The People's Party, supported by representatives of the Centre and the FDP, opposed it. Esther Friedli challenged the institutional elements of the agreement and the hypothesis of Brussels rules applicable in a future pandemic, recalling Switzerland's collaboration with the WHO. The attempt to impose the mandatory referendum was rejected: 30 votes to 12 and 2 abstentions confirmed the optional referendum. For a separate in-depth analysis of the LAMal e la cassa malati, the reader will find a dedicated tool.

Operational details

The Path That Remains Open

Three Conditions for Entry into Force

The decision of the Council of States does not yet amount to the application of the agreement. For those who live or work in Switzerland, the practical point is that the dossier goes to the National Council and that entry into force is linked to the stabilization part of the package. The latter must enter into force as a whole. The timetable therefore depends on the parliamentary steps and the popular vote indicated by the Chamber of Cantons.

The most delicate point is the relationship between the referendum chosen for the health agreement and the condition envisaged for stabilization. The Council of States opted for the optional referendum for the health agreement, with 30 votes to 12 and 2 abstentions. In the same context, however, the Chamber of Cantons considers a mandatory popular vote with the double majority of the People and the Cantons necessary, in addition to approval by both chambers, for the stabilization part to enter into force. The practical reading is that the individual vote on healthcare does not by itself settle the entire dossier.

In terms of substance, the announced scope is limited: health security, access to European mechanisms and Swiss participation only in the crisis-preparedness sector of the EU multiannual programme. Any possible extension to other areas of health is subject to the interest of both parties. Switzerland also retains the authority to adopt its own health measures. These are the points to assess when the text goes before the National Council, without conflating cooperation with access to the internal market, a distinction raised by Esther Friedli.

The rest of the package also has different timelines. The agreement on food security was adopted by the Council of States with 28 votes to 14 and 2 abstentions, but still has to be examined by the National Council. The electricity agreement, by contrast, was not taken up in the sitting because the competent committee has not completed its work; the announced target is the winter session. Anyone seeking a broader overview of costo della vita in Svizzera must therefore keep that topic separate from the procedure described here.

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Key points

How to follow the process without confusing the steps

A checklist in four steps

1. Start with the parliamentary state. The agreement on health has been approved by the Council of States, but the dossier is now destined for the National Council. The first test therefore consists in seeking the outcome of the examination of the second chamber, not in interpreting the vote of the states as a conclusion.

2. Separate the three dossiers. Health and food safety follow the next step towards the National Council; electricity follows a separate timetable, with the goal of the winter session announced by the competent committee. This separation avoids considering the entire EU package already completed.

3. Check the stabilisation clause. The health agreement can only enter into force if the stabilisation part enters into force as a whole. The review must therefore cover the complete package, not just the outcome on the health chapter.

4. Check the popular requirement. 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 are needed. The optional referendum chosen for the health agreement should be read next to this overall condition, not in its place.

What to read in the final text

When the dossier advances, there are five substantial points to be monitored: direct, complete and permanent access to EU health security mechanisms; liaison with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; the possibility of anticipating, preparing for and reacting to new virus variants; the continuation of Swiss sovereignty over health measures; participation only in the area of crisis preparedness in the EU multiannual programme. Whether it should be extended to other areas of health depends on the interests of both parties.

For readers residing in the cantons, this grid makes it possible to distinguish what has been voted on from what still needs to go through the National Council and, depending on the position of the states, through the people and the cantons. There is no need to attribute effects to the agreement that the source does not describe: its declared perimeter concerns health security and cooperation with Brussels.

To combine institutional monitoring with personal control of income and taxes, use calcolatore stipendio e imposte.

Source: tio.ch