Update following negotiations on an enhanced FTA with Switzerland
During 9–13 March 2026, Geneva hosted the tenth round of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland, following a January 2026 meeting between the UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade and Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin at Davos. The UK regards Switzerland as its 10th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth £49.0 billion in the four quarters to Q3 2025, and the 2020 relationship supporting about 130,000 UK services jobs. The current 2019 UK–Swiss trade agreement, largely based on the EU–Swiss 1972 deal, focuses on goods and does not cover services, investment, digital, or data, even though services account for over 60% of UK–Switzerland trade. The enhanced FTA aims to provide long-term certainty for UK services firms by locking in access to the Swiss market, ensuring the free flow of data, and securing permanent business travel arrangements, with ministers continuing to update Parliament on progress and ensuring any agreement aligns with the UK's national interests and NHS protections.
Update following round 10 of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland.
The tenth round of negotiations on an enhanced Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Switzerland took place in Geneva between 9 and 13 March 2026.
The round followed the Secretary of State for Business and Trade’s meeting with his counterpart, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Strengthening the UK’s partnership with Switzerland reflects the UK government’s commitment to economic growth with our 10th largest trading partner, a relationship worth £49.0 billion in the four quarters ending Q3 2025. (ONS, UK total trade, seasonally adjusted).
In 2020, our trading relationship with Switzerland supported 130,000 UK services jobs across finance, consultancy and legal sectors services, transport, and other key sectors (OECD trade in employment database). However, the current UK-Swiss trade agreement, signed in 2019 and based largely on an EU-Swiss agreement from 1972, focuses mainly on goods. It does not include services, investment, digital, or data, even though services account for over 60% of UK trade with Switzerland. Switzerland is the UK’s 6th largest export market for services (ONS, UK total trade, seasonally adjusted).
The enhanced FTA aims to provide long-term certainty for UK services firms, locking in access to the Swiss market, ensuring the free flow of data, and securing business travel arrangements on a permanent basis.
Next Steps on FTA negotiations
The government will only ever sign a trade agreement which aligns with the UK’s national interests, upholding our high standards across a range of sectors, alongside protections for the National Health Service. Ministers will continue to update Parliament on the progress of negotiations.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-following-negotiations-on-an-enhanced-fta-with-switzerland
