Centre backs EU treaty package as FDP weighs its position

Switzerland’s Centre party will campaign for the EU treaty package, while the FDP has yet to decide its position, the parties’ leaders told SRF. The Council of States approved the package during its autumn session, but members of both parties opposed it, prompting questions about their stance.

Centre president Philipp Matthias Bregy said his party supported the package, describing it as “at best acceptable, but ultimately without an alternative”. The Centre would campaign for it wholeheartedly, he said, adding that he expected the party to adopt a clear yes position.

FDP co-president Benjamin Mühlemann said the party had not yet decided. He said delegates’ support for the agreements in autumn 2025 was an initial position for the consultation process, not a final decision. The package offered economic advantages but had disadvantages in terms of state policy, he said, and the party would decide based on how it weighed those factors.

Mühlemann said the FDP was discussing the issue intensively and that he expected it to maintain its support, as little had changed since last year. Bregy described criticism from Centre members as “parliamentary rhetoric” and said the party could accept some members taking a different view. He expected the majority to back the package.

Both parties may seek to campaign on other issues during the 2027 election year. Bregy said the Centre would approach the treaty package by asking what was best for Switzerland, not by focusing on the election. He added that the party was not in a hurry and that Parliament did not have to consider the package before the vote.

No date has been set for a referendum on the package. A vote before the autumn 2027 elections remains just possible. The FDP and Centre are competing for third place; in the 2023 election, the FDP finished narrowly ahead of the Centre. Mühlemann said internal debate was an advantage, because no one at the top dictated the party’s position.