Opinion on a proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of a broad package of agreements to consolidate, deepen and expand the bilateral relations with the Swiss Confederation

3.6.2026

Mr David McAllister

Chair

Committee on Foreign Affairs

BRUSSELS

Subject: Opinion on a proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of a broad package of agreements to consolidate, deepen and expand the bilateral relations with the Swiss Confederation (10643/2025 – C10 0075/2026 – 2025/0162(NLE))

Dear Chair,

Under the procedure referred to above, the Committee on Transport and Tourism has been asked to submit an opinion to your committee. At its meeting of 18 March 2026, the committee decided to send the opinion in the form of a letter. It considered the matter at its meeting of 8 April 2026 and adopted the opinion at its meeting of 3 June 2026.

General Remarks

1. The Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) welcomes the broad package of agreements between the EU and Switzerland which aims to deepen and expand their bilateral relationship, especially in the transport sector, where the package includes protocols to the agreement on air transport and to the agreement on the carriage of goods and passengers by rail and road (the “Land Transport Agreement”).

2. Especially the update of the Land Transport Agreement ensures that the EU and Switzerland remain integrated in terms of a single market for transport of passengers and goods. Commons standards need to be applied, and the update of the Land Transport Agreement modernises existing rules on rail and road transport and aims to achieve greater institutional clarity.

3. The smooth functioning of cross-border traffic remains a key interest of both parties. In particular, the efficient management of Alpine transit, especially along the Rhine–Alpine Corridor, is essential to ensure that road and rail traffic operate smoothly. To ensure its functioning, standardised rules must apply in a clearly defined framework. We must ensure a level playing field between EU and Swiss operators in both, road and rail transport. Opening of the respective markets for international rail transport for passengers, even with the foreseen exceptions for both parties, will certainly benefit EU and Swiss citizens and will lead to additional and improved cross-border transport services. EU railway undertakings will be able to independently offer cross-border rail connections to Switzerland. Likewise, Swiss undertakings will be able to independently offer their own cross-border connections in the EU.

Therefore, the update of the Land Transport Agreement is welcomed by the TRAN Committee.

Specific remarks on rail transport

4. It is in the interests of both the EU and Switzerland that cross-border rail traffic runs as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. At a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, protecting resilient European supply chains is more important than ever. Disruptions along major transport corridors risk exacerbating economic bottlenecks and increasing costs for industry and citizens. Working on joint vehicle approvals and safety certificates reduces the administrative burden on companies and ensures a level playing field for all operators.

5. The TRAN Committee welcomes the fact that the update of the Land Transport Agreement also lays the ground for a participation of Switzerland in the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA). While ERA will not – and should not – be directly responsible of the Swiss rail market, the deeper integration will strengthen interoperability, enhance safety and technical harmonisation, and facilitate more efficient cross-border rail operations between the EU and Switzerland.

6. Following the derailment of a freight train in the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 10 August 2023 due to the failure of waggon wheels, this important stretch of infrastructure remained closed for more than a year, resulting in major disruptions in alpine transit. ERA’s Joint Network Secretariat (JNS), which was established in 2014 precisely to ensure the timely and coordinated handling of rail safety issues in support of the Single European Railway Area, convened a task force of relevant national safety and investigation bodies as well as stakeholders from the rail sector to investigate the accident and suggest improved safety measures. However, in September 2025 and before the conclusion of the JNS task force, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) unilaterally adopted national measures that introduced requirements for freight wagons that are operating on the Swiss rail network. While the measures are intended to improve safety, something which the TRAN Committee naturally welcomes, their introduction poses a significant negative impact on the availability of rail waggons in cross-border rail transport between the EU and Switzerland, increasing complexities for international freight operations and represents an important deviation from the coordinated European approach led by the JNS and the pursuit of a Single European Railway Area.

7. The Swiss measures include requirements for minimum wheel diameters, systematic and more frequent maintenance, and optimised wagon inspection which puts additional burden on waggon keepers and railway undertakings. While safety requirements should not be questioned, it is the unilateral decision to deviate from a collective European process and approach that is a concern. The TRAN Committee would therefore like to underline the need for a multilateral solution, based on the JNS process and its report (published in December 2025), which recommends a common set of rules to be implemented by the various rail stakeholders.

8. The TRAN Committee therefore raises concerns that the unilateral measures adopted by the Swiss authorities risk undermining the EU–Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, in particular the commitments related to the approximation of railway legislation and the need to ensure fair and balanced competition both between and within transport modes.

9. In that respect the TRAN Committee would like to highlight in particular that Article 31(1) limits the possibility for deviations to measures that are strictly necessary to address serious environmental or traffic-related problems, notably those linked to transit traffic across the Alps. Furthermore, Article 32 establishes the need to avoid distortions of traffic flows, particularly in sensitive regions such as the Alpine corridors.

Risks and Concerns

10. The limited availability of rail freight waggons risks modal shift towards road transport. Such a shift in freight transport from rail to road runs against the objectives of European transport policy, it is particularly problematic in sensitive regions like the Alps.

11. The modal shift towards road also has negative consequences in terms of congestion of the road network. This has led to discussions on additional transit tolls for vehicles in alpine transit, especially for the Gotthard road tunnel. The envisaged Swiss toll, coming on top of the already existing vignette, would only apply to foreign vehicles. While it does not violate the Land Transport Agreement, it would still distort the principle of an integrated market.

12. The benefits of the huge investments that were made in cross-border infrastructure along the Rhine Alpine corridor, like better rail service for consumers and benefits for sustainable transport, are jeopardised by such unilateral decisions.

13. The TRAN Committee would also like to raise concerns because Switzerland did not notify the European Commission nor seek the opinion of the Commission’s experts prior to the adoption of these measures, as required under Article 52(2) of the Agreement. Nor did Switzerland inform the Commission following the publication of the measures, in line with the obligations set out in Article 52(3).

14. The TRAN Committee would like to call on the Commission to ensure joint and multilateral solutions are applied to uphold the highest standards of safety and the commitment to an integrated rail system and avoid fragmentation in the rail market.

Yours sincerely,

Elissavet VozembergVrionidi