Legal and home affairs

Migration

The Schengen/Dublin cooperation agreements provide for close cooperation between EU member states and the associated states in border, justice, police, visa and asylum-related matters. Schengen member states have essentially abolished checks on persons at internal borders, and have adopted compensatory measures to strengthen internal security. Dublin cooperation ensures that each asylum application is examined by only one state.

Free movement of persons

Switzerland and the EU concluded the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) in 1999, which allows EU citizens and their family members to live, work and study in Switzerland under certain conditions. The same conditions apply to Swiss nationals in the EU member states. The focus here is on labour market-oriented immigration and emigration.

As part of the stabilisation of the bilateral approach, Switzerland is partially adopting Directive 2004/38/EC and linking it to an effective three-tier system of protection, which includes exceptions, safeguards and a safeguard clause. Migration under the AFMP remains focused on gainful employment, allowing Swiss employers to recruit the qualified workers they need while also protecting Switzerland's social security system.

Police cooperation

Criminals cross borders, making international police cooperation indispensable. In this context, Switzerland has long been relying on international police cooperation based on the relevant global multilateral efforts via Interpol, bilateral agreements with individual states, and European multilateral support through Europol.

Judicial cooperation

Judicial cooperation between the EU and Switzerland covers criminal and civil law, data protection and cooperation with European agencies such as Eurojust and Europol. It is based on a series of bilateral agreements. In civil law, it is shaped in particular by the Lugano Convention on the recognition and enforcement of civil judgments, by the Hague Convention on international child abduction, and by regulations on jurisdiction and enforcement in family law. There is also close cooperation in the area of data protection, for example through the EU's recognition of Switzerland's adequate level of data protection and the exchange of personal data in the context of criminal proceedings.

Common border protection and visa policy

The Schengen Association Agreement facilitates travel between Switzerland and the EU by removing checks on persons at borders within the Schengen area. Switzerland and the EU simultaneously pursue a common policy in the areas of border protection and visa issuance. As a Schengen-associated state, Switzerland participates in the Entry/Exit System (EES) for electronically registering the entry and exit of third-country nationals, and in the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for visa-exempt third-country nationals. Switzerland also participates in the activities of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and contributes to the implementation of the Border Management and Visa Policy Instrument (BMVI).

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