Trade in services in free trade agreements (FTAs)

Switzerland maintains preferential relations in the field of trade in services with around 20 partners by means of free trade agreements (FTAs), which were mostly concluded within the framework of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Switzerland's primary objective in these FTAs is to obtain more favourable treatment than the one granted under the WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and to ensure that Swiss services exporters do not face discrimination in comparison to service suppliers from other countries. Switzerland thus aims to guarantee enhanced legal certainty and improved market access for its exporters.

The FTAs, in principle, take over the provisions of the GATS and the related schedules of commitments as a basis for improvements. In the context of FTA negotiations, Switzerland generally proposes a separate chapter on trade in services. This chapter is supplemented by annexes containing sector-related (e. g. financial services) or subject-specific (e. g. movement of natural persons) rules that are defined on a case-by-case basis according to the mutual commercial interests of the Parties.

Partners with which Switzerland maintains preferential relations in the services sector through EFTA

• Chile
• Ecuador
• GCC - Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)
• Georgia
• Hong Kong, China
• India
• Indonesia
• Canada
• Colombia
• Kosovo
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Peru
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Republic of Korea
• Thailand
• Türkiye
• Ukraine
• Central America States (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama)

Partners with which Switzerland has preferential relations through bilateral agreements

• China
• Japan
• United Kingdom (UK)

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