The free trade agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member, and the South American Mercosur states has not yet cleared every hurdle in Switzerland. The alliance opposing it has begun collecting signatures with a view to a referendum, SWI swissinfo.ch reports, based on a dispatch from the Keystone-ATS news agency. Its representatives spoke to the press on Tuesday in Bern.
What the alliance is calling for
The aim is to put the agreement to a popular vote. To do so, the alliance must submit 50,000 valid signatures to the Federal Chancellery by 21 January 2027. This figure corresponds to the general framework of the optional referendum provided for by the Federal Constitution: 50,000 signatures to be gathered within the 100 days following the official publication of the act.
Launching a signature drive does not determine its outcome. If the number of valid signatures is not reached within the deadline, the agreement will not be put to the people. If it is, the electorate will have the final say. Either way, nothing has been decided at this stage.
The opponents’ arguments
Speaking to the media, the alliance’s representatives highlighted the consequences for the tropical rainforest. In their view, large-scale soya cultivation and intensive cattle farming are among the main drivers of deforestation in the Mercosur countries. The expansion of industrial agriculture would also lead to the displacement of long-established communities, and cases of forced labour on plantations are regularly brought to light, they claimed.
The alliance believes that the agreement creates additional incentives to import foodstuffs produced under these conditions. It also sees considerable risks for Swiss agriculture. The dispatch does not specify the composition of this alliance.
What supporters argue
The available sources do not detail the arguments of the Federal Council or of the business circles in favour of the agreement. They do, however, recall two points put forward on that side. First, after eight years of negotiations, the negotiators made a point of including safeguards in the text, notably on the environment, knowing that this type of agreement is subject to close public scrutiny, as swissinfo.ch noted in July 2025. Second, the Council of States accompanied its approval of the agreement with a package of 517 million francs in support of Swiss agriculture, a measure that responds directly to the concerns expressed for farmers.
Where the procedure stands
The Council of States approved the agreement in mid-September 2026, according to swissinfo.ch. The opening of a referendum period indicates that the approval decree is now subject to the optional referendum; the dispatch does not, however, go into the details of the other parliamentary stages.
As for the economic content of the agreement, the sources consulted specify neither the customs duty reductions planned for Swiss exporters nor the quotas granted for Mercosur agricultural products. These elements, central to assessing the text’s concrete impact on the export industry and on farmers, are not addressed in the dispatch. Nor is the text of the agreement itself linked there.
What comes next
By 21 January 2027, the alliance must convince enough citizens to sign. The debate will then, if applicable, be decided at the ballot box, between the defence of trade openness coupled with safeguards and the fear of increased pressure on the environment and on domestic agriculture.
