Swiss Senate Approves Mercosur Agreement with CHF 517 Million Agricultural Package
The Swiss Senate approved the Mercosur trade agreement and allocated CHF517 million ($630 million) to agriculture, sending the deal back to the lower house after a narrow rejection in June.
The Swiss Senate approved the Mercosur trade agreement on Monday by 35 votes to seven, and allocated CHF517 million ($630 million) to Swiss agriculture.
The agricultural support package, spread between 2028 and 2033, is designed to help Swiss farmers adjust to the agreement’s market openings. The CHF517 million envelope will be disbursed over six years.
The treaty now returns to the House of Representatives, where it had been narrowly rejected in June. That earlier defeat made Monday’s Senate vote a critical step toward potential ratification.
The Senate’s approval reverses the lower house’s June decision, but the agreement’s fate remains uncertain as the National Council reconsiders. The same political dynamics that led to the June rejection could resurface.
The lower house will now debate the agreement again. Whether the agricultural support package is enough to secure approval remains to be seen.