Swiss Association for Technical Inspections [ SVUTI-ASIT ]

Swiss Association for Technical Inspections; SVUTI-ASIT

Swiss Association for Technical Inspections

The Swiss Association for Environmental Technology [ SAET ]

The EU has concluded more than 120 bilateral and sectoral agreements with Switzerland, the most important of which is are the Free Trade Agreement signed in 1972, the 7 agreements of the so-called "Bilaterals I" (free movement of persons, land and air transport, technical barriers to trade, public procurements, research, agriculture) concluded in 1999 and the "Bilaterals II" concluded in 2004 (Schengen-Dublin Treaties, fight against fraud, taxation of savings, statistics, processed agricultural products, pensions, environment, Media and a common declaration of intent regarding the association ...[+++] to the Education Programmes).

ECHO's partners for this programme are Association de Coopération Technique et Développement (ACTED, France), Solidarités (France), Medair (Switzerland), Merlin (UK), and Médecins sans Frontières (Belgium).

The EEA Council: - welcomed the positive decision of the EU Council on the proposal regarding the introduction of diagonal cumulation between the EEA countries, treated as one block for the purpose of rules of origin, and Switzerland and the associated CEEC, and expressed the hope that diagonal European cumulation would be in operation in the near future; - regretted that bilateral negotiations on autonomous measures related to processed agricultural products, which are an essential basis for the completion of Protocol 3 to the EEA Agreement, had not been concluded and urged all parties to do their utmost to conclude them in order for t ...[+++]he EEA Joint Committee to work towards completion of Protocol 3 to the EEA Agreement; - noted that the procedures in the EU for the integration of the Regulation on maritime cabotage into the EEA, notably the consultation of the European Parliament, have been initiated and expressed the hope that a mutually satisfactory solution can be found soon; - noted the continuation of negotiations on parallel agreements with certain third countries concerning mutual recognition of conformity assessment (MRAs) in accordance with Protocol 12 to the EEA Agreement; - noted the good progress of extensive technical work in preparation for the integration of legislation on veterinary border controls into the EEA Agreement; opening the way for the extension of that part of the internal market into the EEA in time for the implementation of the new system of border checks by the EU. 8. The EEA Council reviewed the functioning of institutional aspects of the EEA Agreement.

COST (Cooperation européenne dans le domaine de la Science et de la Technologie) is a flexible framework for scientific and technical cooperation which brings together 23 European countries: the 12 Member States of the European Community, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey and Yugoslavia. As of 21 November 1991, the list also includes Iceland, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.