The European Commission has presented on 9 August 2010 the Proposal for a Council Decision (COM(2010) 426 final) on the conclusion of an Agreement between the European Union and the SwissConfederation establishing the terms and conditions for the participation of the Swiss Confederation in the ‘Youth in Action’ programme and in the action programme in the field of lifelong learning (2007-2013).

The Proposal of Decision presented to the Council establishes the conditions for the Agreement regulating the participation of the Swiss Confederation in the 'Youth in Action' Programme (2007-2013) and the he action programme in the field of lifelong learning (2007-2013), agreement which is linked to the Agreement of 21 June 1999 between the European Union and the Swiss Confederation on the Free Movement of Persons, concluded by Council Decision of 4 April 2002.

EU-Swiss cooperation in youth and training matters

Since 1992 Switzerland has shown continued interest in closer cooperation with the EU in the education, training and youth sector. In a joint declaration on future negotiations attached to the seven agreements signed on 21 June 1999 by the European Community and Switzerland, the two parties stated that preparatory work for negotiations on Swiss participation in training and youth programmes should proceed rapidly after conclusion of the seven agreements.

This area of cooperation was indeed broached during the next cycle of bilateral negotiations. Since the legal basis for the education, training and youth programmes which were in force in the 2000-2006 period (Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth) did not provide for the participation of Switzerland, it was agreed to postpone the negotiation of a participation agreement until after the adoption of the programmes succeeding them.

The Decisions of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2006 establishing the ‘Youth in Action’ programme and the action programme in the field of lifelong learning for the period 2007 to 2013 provided for the possible participation of Switzerland in such programmes.

In February 2008 the Council authorised the opening of negotiations with Switzerland with a view to concluding an agreement laying down the terms and conditions for its participation in the two programmes. Negotiations were completed in August 2009, and on 25 January 2010 the Council adopted a Decision approving the signing of the Agreement and its provisional application from 2011.