Economic affairs, trade and digitalisation

Economic affairs and trade

Switzerland is nestled in the middle of the European continent, and its neighbours are members of the EU. Due to this geographical and cultural proximity, but also – and especially – because of their political and economic weight, the EU and its member states are by far Switzerland's most important trade partners. A pro-active European policy is therefore of crucial importance for Switzerland from the perspective of economic policy.

Yet Switzerland is in turn also one of the EU's biggest trade partners:

  • Ranking fourth for goods after the US, China and the UK, and accounting for around 7% of the EU's trade with non-EU countries. 70% of Swiss imports are from the EU, while 50% of Swiss exports are to the EU (as of June 2025). The EU is by far the most important market for Switzerland's export-driven industry.
  • In the services sector, Switzerland was the EU's third-largest trade partner in 2024, with a market share of around 10.6% of the union's service exports and 7% of its imports.
  • Switzerland is the third-largest investor in the EU (as of June 2025).

Digital affairs

Some of the EU's digital policy activities are also relevant for Switzerland. The Federal Administration therefore closely monitors digital policy developments in the EU. In cooperation with the FDFA's State Secretariat (Europe Division), OFCOM regularly monitors the impact of the EU's digital strategy on Switzerland. This monitoring is carried out within the framework of the Interdepartmental Coordination Group on EU Digital Policy, which involves all relevant parts of the Federal Administration.

Switzerland as a financial location

Access to EU markets is of strategic importance to the Swiss financial sector. In the area of taxation, the Swiss–EU agreement on the automatic exchange of financial account information has been in force since 1 January 2017. On 1 January 2020, the tax reform (TRAF) came into force, abolishing controversial tax regimes.

Tax policy

Swiss–EU economic relations are intensive, making tax-policy issues very important. This is why the two parties have signed an agreement on the exchange of financial account information that helps combat cross-border tax evasion. There is another agreement, in the area of indirect taxation, that focuses specifically on countering tax fraud.

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