Health agreement Switzerland-EU
The health agreement negotiated between Switzerland and the EU enhances the early warning and response capabilities of the Swiss authorities and allows for better protection of the Swiss population. The health agreement is part of the Switzerland-EU package (Bilaterals III), for which the Federal Council adopted the dispatch to Parliament on 13 March 2026.
Health crises do not respect borders
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that close cooperation and a coordinated cross-border approach in Europe are essential. Until now, closer cooperation with the EU in this area was only possible in specific cases, relying on the goodwill of the EU and being limited exclusively to crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Strengthening early warning and response capacity
Switzerland has a significant interest in formally securing the cooperation with the EU in the area of health security, in order to strengthen its early warning and response capacity in the event of serious cross-border health threats and thus better protect the health of the Swiss population.
For example, the health agreement enables Switzerland to quickly obtain all the necessary information on the spread of new virus variants in a neighbouring country or on experiences and findings regarding different test strategies.
Targeted cooperation
Such cooperation is important for both crisis prevention and crisis response. It also strengthens knowledge sharing. This gives Switzerland the opportunity to participate in Europe-wide studies, for example, and to exchange and compare data and findings at the European level in areas such as antibiotic resistance.
Switzerland will still be able to make independent and sovereign decisions on measures to combat communicable diseases or other cross-border health threats in our country.
Key aspects of the cooperation
Health agreement Switzerland-EU
The agreement gives Switzerland comprehensive access to the EU’s health security mechanisms and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). It improves the early warning and response capabilities of the Swiss authorities during epidemics and allows for better protection of the Swiss population. It provides for the possibility of future extension to other fields of health, if this is in the interests of both parties.
The agreement focuses on health security. Other aspects of health policy, such as tobacco or patients' rights in cross-border healthcare, do not fall within the scope of the agreement.
The institutional elements will apply by analogy in the health agreement, although it is not an internal market agreement. This is intended to ensure the proper functioning of the agreement and smooth cooperation. Its implementation does not necessitate any modification of the law in the area of health.
Protocol for participation in the EU Health Programme (currently «EU4Health»)
Switzerland’s participation in the EU’s multiannual health programme (currently «EU4Health») is ensured by a protocol to the Programmes Agreement. This protocol is limited to the duration of the current programme «EU4Health» (2021–2027), and Switzerland will only participate in the part of the health programme that is linked to the scope of the health agreement, namely the area of «crisis preparedness». Participation in the EU4Health programme is linked to the entry into force of the health agreement.
Further information on the Programmes Agreement between Switzerland and the EU can be found on the website of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation: Horizon package 2021–2027
Next steps
The health agreement is part of the Switzerland–EU package, for which material negotiations were concluded in December 2024.
On 2 March 2026, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, signed the agreements of the Switzerland–EU package in Brussels. On 13 March 2026, the Federal Council adopted the dispatch on the package Switzerland and the EU (Bilaterals III) and submitted it to Parliament ( Press release, 13 March 2026).
Further information
The relevant documentation can be found on the FDFA’s website: Dispatch on the Switzerland-EU Package (Bilaterals III)
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
EU and neighbouring States Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
Switzerland - 3003 Bern