France and Germany open the door to Switzerland on “Made in Europe” label

Germany and France would reportedly be ready to open the “Made in Europe” label to Switzerland, a designation meant to favour projects of European origin in future public procurement. Bern has been lobbying for months to secure treatment equivalent to that of EU member states.

According to a leak reported by several news agencies, a draft document would place Switzerland on the same footing as the United Kingdom and the countries of the European Economic Area, namely Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. The outcome was not a given. Germany had already signalled support for equivalent treatment of Switzerland, while France had sought a stricter application of the principle, recognising as European only products manufactured within EU countries. The document cited by the Keystone-ATS agency would point to a shift in Paris's position.

A market worth hundreds of billions, and conditions attached

The label concerns a market worth hundreds of billions of euros, distributed through industrial subsidies or public procurement within the EU single market, one of the largest in the world. Even partial access to these resources would matter for Swiss companies, which would otherwise risk being excluded or losing ground to European competitors.

The move is part of a broader EU strategy to protect domestic production in the face of Chinese competition and the trade policy pursued by US President Donald Trump. It remains to be seen how much room would actually be left for a country like Switzerland outside these trade blocs.

The document cited by the agencies remains unofficial for now: it still needs to be confirmed by EU institutions, which will also have to weigh in on the political consensus regarding Switzerland. Crucially, access to the label would not come free. The conditions reportedly involve a closer link to European trade rules, going beyond the bureaucracy already criticised by Swiss business owners, and amounting to near-complete alignment with the EU's trade policy.

For Swiss companies, the opening of such a large market would represent a concrete competitive advantage. It remains to be seen whether that advantage offsets the loss of room for manoeuvre that such close alignment with European rules would entail for Bern.