Brussels freezes Swiss participation in flagship EU rail project
Keystone / Valentin Flauraud
The stalled bilateral treaty talks between the European Union and Switzerland have halted Swiss participation in a major project aimed at transforming the European rail system.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
Español
es
Congelan participación suiza en proyecto ferroviario de la UE
On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Swiss Federal Railways confirmed a report in the Neue Zuercher Zeitung (NZZ) newspaper that Swiss participation had ground to a halt. The project – known as the European partnership for the transformation of the European rail system – aims at increasing rail traffic in the region by promoting automation and digitalisation to help reduce costs and increase reliability. The goal is to make rail attractive as a low carbon means of transport, particularly for freight transport. It is part of ten new European partnerships eligible for nearly €10 billion (CHF11 billion) of EU funding that the partners will match with at least an equivalent amount of investment.
According to NZZ, the European Commission has blocked Switzerland’s participation because of the lack of progress on the Swiss-EU institutional framework agreement, which is aimed at simplifying ties between the two sides. It also does not want to enter into discussions on research cooperation until Switzerland has released its second contribution to the EU’s so-called “cohesion fund” for improving living standards in less well-off European states. The funding has been suspended by the Swiss parliament.
The Swiss research community is anxious that a lack of progress on the framework deal could affect the Alpine nation’s future participation in the Horizon Europe research programme, the follow-up to Horizon 2020. Switzerland’s parliament has rubberstamped the financial package for the Alpine nation’s participation in Horizon Europe. However, Switzerland’s involvement in the EU’s €100 billion research funding scheme is due to be the subject of negotiations between Switzerland and the EU.
The Alpine nation was temporarily demoted in Horizon 2020 after voters backed migration quotas in 2014. It regained full association status and access to Horizon 2020 three years later after having ratified the free movement of people accord with Croatia.
Swiss Federal Railways had expressed willingness to participate in the flagship rail project under the Horizon programme by contributing several million more to the partnership.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss researchers make progress on malaria vaccine
This content was published on
A Swiss research team has come one step closer to developing an effective malaria vaccine. They have genetically modified the malaria parasite so that it cannot cause malaria.
Peace Prize launched to mark centenary of Locarno Treaties
This content was published on
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Locarno Treaties, the Swiss city of Locarno has launched a Peace Prize in collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival. This will be presented for the first time in August.
Swiss-built robot changes shape to adapt to terrain
This content was published on
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a bioinspired robot capable of changing shape according to its environment.
US-EU trade dispute will have no impact on Switzerland, says Swiss president
This content was published on
Switzerland will not suffer from the consequences of the looming trade dispute between the US and the EU, according to Karin Keller-Sutter.
US ends funding for four Swiss-run children’s aid projects
This content was published on
The United States has definitively ended its funding for four projects run by the children's aid organisation Terre des hommes.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss-EU talks stall due to ‘substantial differences’
This content was published on
Talks on future ties between Switzerland and the European Union have once again hit a dead end, after key meeting fails to end a negotiation impasse.
Switzerland closer to accessing EU research money, but questions remain
This content was published on
Access to Horizon Europe – the world’s biggest scientific funding initiative - is key for non-EU members like Switzerland and the UK.
This content was published on
The Swiss government says it will not agree an overarching accord with the European Union if Brussels is not willing to compromise on open issues.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.