ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss financial contributions towards the European Union are set to rise significantly under a deal to deepen bilateral trade relations Brussels and Bern are negotiating, Swiss national broadcaster SRF reported on Wednesday.
Citing sources, SRF said Switzerland would likely end up paying around 350 million Swiss francs ($396 million) a year to support economic development in east European countries, up from 130 million francs under the current arrangement.
The broadcaster said the number could change as the two sides strive to reach agreement before Christmas.
The Swiss foreign ministry declined to comment. The European Commission did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Diplomatic sources have told Reuters Swiss contributions would likely rise, but that talks are continuing.
An EU diplomat said negotiations were progressing, but Switzerland’s financial commitment had yet to be agreed.
The diplomat, who asked not to be named, said they hoped an agreement was possible “in the next days and weeks”.
The European Commission is set to brief EU ministers on the state of play at a meeting next Tuesday.
Last month, Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung said Switzerland’s yearly contributions could be as much as 450 million euros ($472.50 million), similar to what Norway pays, citing calculations by CH Media and sources in Bern.
Via what are known as cohesion payments, Switzerland has financed development projects in EU states since 2007 as part of efforts to reduce economic inequality across the EU.
The Swiss government has portrayed its EU payments as a voluntary act of solidarity rather than a fixed part of its agreements with the bloc.
Under the new deal, the EU wants the cohesion payments to become binding, SRF said.
($1 = 0.8834 Swiss francs)
($1 = 0.9524 euros)
(Reporting by Ariane Luthi; Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Dave Graham and Barbara Lewis)
