Switzerland and EU sign agreement on Swiss participation in EU programmes

Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva signed the Switzerland-EU programmes agreement (EUPA) in Bern on 10 November 2025. This part of the Switzerland-EU package can be provisionally applied with retroactive effect from the beginning of 2025. The agreement paves the way for association to Erasmus+.

At the signing ceremony, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and Ekaterina Zaharieva, the EU Commissioner responsible for start-ups, research and innovation, stressed the importance of Swiss-EU cooperation for all of Europe as a location for education, research and innovation in the face of global competition. With the signing of the programmes agreement, Switzerland is associated to Horizon Europe, the Euratom and the Digital Europe programmes with retroactive effect from 1 January 2025. Association to the ITER research infrastructure is planned from 2026 and to Erasmus+ from 2027. The Federal Council will request the funds necessary to finance Erasmus+ from Parliament, as part of the Switzerland-EU package. Participation in the EU4Health programme is linked to the entry into force of the health agreement in the Switzerland-EU package.

Press release

Consultation on bilateral agreements opened

The consultation on the agreements between Switzerland and the EU, which also include Erasmus+, opened on Friday 13 June and will run until the end of October. The agreement on Switzerland's participation in EU programmes – including EUPA (Erasmus+) – will be signed this November. This means that Switzerland is expected to be associated with the Erasmus+ programme from 2027.

EUPA agreement: another step towards reassociation

The Federal Council has approved the draft agreement on European Union programmes (EUPA), which includes Erasmus+. The Minister of Economy, Education and Research, Guy Parmelin, announced this at a press conference in Bern on Thursday. ‘The way is now clear for the agreement on European programmes to be signed. This is an important step towards our association with programmes such as Horizon Europe and Erasmus+.’

Switzerland and EU initial agreement on programmes

On 2 April, the chief negotiators from Switzerland and the European Union initialled an agreement in Brussels on Switzerland’s participation in EU programmes. The EU Programmes Agreement (EUPA) governs Switzerland's participation in EU programmes and will only come into force once the overall Switzerland-EU package has been ratified. However, it can be applied in advance, which would afford Switzerland provisional association to Horizon Europe, the Euratom programme and the Digital Europe Programme with retroactive effect from 2025, as well as to ITER from 2026 and Erasmus+ from 2027. For that to happen the EUPA must be signed by this November, i.e. before the signing of the remaining elements of the Switzerland-EU package. The EUPA nevertheless remains part of the overall package in terms of ratification proceedings. The text of the EUPA will be published in the coming weeks.

Erasmus+ in the package of agreements between the EU and Switzerland

Negotiations between Switzerland and the European Union have come to a conclusion on Friday. The two partners have reached a global agreement that includes Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe. A re-association with Erasmus+ would then take place in 2027, once the parliamentary debate and the necessary steps linked to accreditation have been completed.

This is excellent news for Movetia, as it would provide the Swiss education system with unrestricted access to the offers, network and tools of the European education programme. This is an important step towards strengthening the quality of education, facilitating the exchange of best practices and stimulating the transfer of innovation for the Swiss economy of the future.

Switzerland could be joining Erasmus+ in 2027

At its meeting on 6 November, the Federal Council took a decision in principle on Switzerland's association with Erasmus+. It will submit the financing decision to Parliament as part of the message on the overall package for negotiations with the European Union. This would enable Switzerland to join the European education programme Erasmus+ in 2027.

Movetia is delighted with this decision, which gives a clearer and more concrete perspective to Switzerland's association with the Erasmus+ programme. Although Parliament will still have to adopt a position, the direction taken by the Federal Council means that the national agency and all those involved in education in Switzerland will be able to prepare for this possibility over the next two years.