Press Release: EU – Switzerland: nine new agreements to be signed today

After several years of negotiations between the European Union and Switzerland nine new sectoral agreements were signed on 25 October 2004 in the margins of the JHA Council in Luxembourg. The agreements concern the taxation of savings; the co-operation in the fight against fraud; the association of Switzerland to the Schengen acquis; participation of Switzerland in the 'Dublin' and 'Eurodac' regulations; trade in processed agricultural products; the Swiss participation in the European Environment Agency and European Environment Information & Observation Network (EIONET); statistical co-operation; the Swiss participation in the Media plus and Media training programs and on the avoidance of double taxation for pensioners of the Community institutions. In addition, a protocol to the existing agreement on free movement of persons was also signed, which extended this agreement to the EU Member States acceded in 2004.