Parliament approves an additional €58.3 million for EU programmes
Keystone-SDA
Both chambers of the Swiss parliament have agreed to allocate CHF58.3 million for European Union research programmes.
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The funding forms part of the supplementary budget for 2026, which totals nearly CHF90 million.
The Federal Council had initially requested CHF67.3 million for research programmes. The House of Representatives reduced this by CHF9 million, removing a reserve that had become obsolete.
The additional funding is to be used to pay the mandatory contribution required to participate in European programmes such as Horizon Europe and Euratom. Switzerland has been associated with these programmes again since 2025, following several years of estrangement.
There is no question of Switzerland being excluded once again from this, the world’s largest research infrastructure, argued lawmakers.
Only the Swiss People’s Party was against the funding. It accuses the EU of taking advantage of Switzerland by increasing the budgets required to participate in its programmes. This argument was dismissed by other parties.
The government has already announced that it is considering a cut of CHF40 million in the 2027 budget to offset this additional funding, given the strained state of federal finances. It is due to make a decision this summer.
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Translated from French with AI/mga
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