EC/Switzerland agreement: free movement of persons; participation as contracting parties of Bulgaria and Romania

This proposal constitutes the final act of the draft Council Decision on the signature, on behalf of the Community and its Member States, of a Protocol to an Agreement between the Community and the Swiss Confederation on the free movement of persons that takes account of Bulgarian and Romanian accession to the EU.

To recall, on 5 May 2006, the Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations with the Swiss Confederation for a Protocol to the Agreement on the free movement of persons. This was to take account of Bulgarian and Romanian participation on the Agreement pursuant to their accession to the EU. The main provisions agreed, in brief, relate to Bulgarian and Romanian employed and self-employed workers who reside and work in Switzerland; the acquisition of land for secondary residences by Swiss nationals non-resident in Bulgaria and Romania; restrictions on the acquisition of agricultural land, forest and forestry land by Swiss nationals in Bulgaria and Romania; and provisions on social security.

The general content of the Agreement has not been amended and remains in conformity with the Commission’s initial proposal (please refer to the summary of the former initial proposal dated 22/04/2008).