National Council science, education and culture committee begins deliberations on Switzerland–EU package

Food safety

In preparation for its detailed consideration of the food safety proposal (BB3), the committee first received an introduction to its substance from the administration and then held extensive hearings. It heard 15 organisations from the agricultural sector, meat and cheese production, retail and the trades, as well as the environmental and seed production sectors. The hearings focused on dynamic alignment with legislation, Switzerland’s participation in decision shaping, and the effects on domestic agricultural production and exports to the EU and third countries. The discussions also covered the labelling and declaration requirements concerning the country of production of food, the Swiss exception for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and new genomic techniques (NGTs), and the rules on animal diseases.

The committee also received a presentation of the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) report «Prüfung der Effizienz bei der Zulassung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln» [translation: “Audit of efficiency in the authorisation of plant protection products”]. To clarify outstanding questions from the hearings and prepare for detailed consideration, the committee gave the administration just over a dozen matters to examine. Deliberations will continue at the meeting on 12 and 13 November 2026.

Extended co-report (Mitbericht+) to the FAC-N

The SECC-N decided to prepare an extended co-report (Mitbericht+) for the National Council Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC-N) on those aspects of the stabilisation component that fall within its remit. These included participation in EU programmes and EUSPA (BB1 Art. 1 letters l and m), the new act on the recognition of professional qualifications (BB1, Annex 2), the legislative amendments concerning tuition fees (BB1, Annex 6), and the commitment appropriation for Erasmus+ (BB9).

On these topics too, the committee first received information from the administration and then held extensive hearings. In addition to the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), it heard nine other organisations from the education, mobility and youth sectors, as well as representatives of the social partners. The committee was particularly interested in the financial and social effects of the programmes on the Confederation, cantons and communes. The discussions also addressed equal social opportunities in mobility opportunities in vocational and higher education, and the rules governing tuition fees at Swiss higher education institutions. Economic consequences, particularly the effects on small and medium-sized enterprises and companies providing apprenticeships, were also considered.

The intensive discussions with the administration and the hearings clarified numerous questions. Nevertheless, in preparation for deliberations in the Council, the committee gave the administration two matters to examine.

As part of its extended co-report (Mitbericht+), the SECC-N submitted the following majority and minority proposals to the FAC-N, which is the lead committee.

The committee supports Switzerland’s participation in EU programmes and EUSPA and, by 17 votes to 8, recommends that its Council approve this participation. A minority proposes rejecting participation. By the same vote, the committee recommends that its Council approve the proposal on the recognition of professional qualifications in the version adopted by the Council of States. A minority rejects it.

Regarding the Federal Institutes of Technology, the SECC-N majority recommends following the Council of States’ decision and giving the ETH Board the additional option of restricting the admission of students holding foreign educational qualifications on quality or financial grounds. With 12 votes to 12, one abstention and the chair’s casting vote, it recommends that its Council approve the Council of States’ decision. A minority wishes to retain the current law in this respect.

On tuition fees, the SECC-N recommends to its Council, by 13 votes to 12, that it retain the Federal Council’s proposal and forgo the increase in tuition fees to at least three times the amount for foreign students from non-EU member states decided by the Council of States. A minority wishes to follow the Council of States’ decision. A further minority wishes to dispense entirely with equal treatment of students from EU member states regarding tuition fees and with the resulting payments to higher education institutions (9 votes to 16).

Finally, the committee supports the commitment appropriation to finance Swiss participation in Erasmus+ for 2027 and, by 17 votes to 8, recommends that its Council consider the proposal. By 16 votes to 9, it rejected a proposal to reduce the additional national costs provided for in the commitment appropriation for operating the national agency from 15.8 million to 12 million francs. A minority wishes to maintain this proposal. A further minority rejects the financing of Swiss participation in Erasmus+ for 2027 and accordingly proposes that its Council decline to consider the proposal.

The committee met in Bern on 22/23 October 2026, chaired by Roman Hug (V, GR).

Source

Swiss Parliament – SECC-N: «WBK-N nimmt Beratung zum Paket Schweiz-EU auf», 23 October 2026, 14:45. https://www.parlament.ch/press-releases/Pages/mm-wbk-n-2026-10-23.aspx?lang=1031