Switzerland had been negotiating with the EU since 2007 on a bilateral agreement in the electricity sector. The aim of the agreement was to regulate cross-border electricity trading and secure access to the European electricity market. In May 2021, Switzerland broke off negotiations with the EU on an institutional agreement. This means that the planned electricity agreement also cannot be concluded in the short to medium term, because in 2012 the EU tied new market access agreements (including on electricity trading) to the conclusion of an institutional agreement. In order to cushion the negative impact of not having an electricity agreement on Switzerland’s network and supply security, national grid operator Swissgrid is currently carrying out negotiations for technical private law agreements with European transmission system operators. However, it is still unclear at the present time whether it will be possible to conclude these agreements. Furthermore, such agreements are no suitable substitute for the electricity agreement with the EU, which remains an objective of the Federal Council.
Last modification 09.11.2022
