k-flash audio commentSwiss Strawberry Jam and the EU Framework Agreement
k-flash audio commentSwiss Strawberry Jam and the EU Framework Agreement

The case

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis claimed that “if a Swiss company only produces strawberry jam for Switzerland, they don’t need to worry about EU regulations.” This statement has attracted criticism for being misleading, as it may suggest that some Swiss companies can completely ignore EU rules, which isn’t really the case.

Source: NZZ 03.10.2025, Fabian Schäfer – shortened and simplified

The commentary

Cassis presumably meant to say that companies which produce exclusively for the domestic market are not directly bound by EU law. Still, it goes to say that even these companies can be indirectly affected, e.g. through imported machinery, packaging or ingredients that must comply with EU standards or due to consumer and market expectations regarding quality and sustainability.

Switzerland applies the Cassis de Dijon principle, which allows the sale of EU-compliant products in Switzerland without additional authorization, though there are exceptions, particularly in food law. Food products must comply with Swiss regulations and labelling requirements and exclusively domestic products must also comply with national laws such as the Food Act.

Even though not all EU rules are directly applicable, EU regulations have a more comprehensive impact on the Swiss economy than Cassis’s statement might suggest.

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