Country contact

Switzerland is landlocked and lies right in the centre of Europe and has borders with France, Germany, Austria and Italy.  Its capital city is Berne and Swiss-German, French and Italian are all spoken there.  Most of Switzerland is covered by the Alps. 

The Swiss political system is highly decentralised and is divided into cantons each with its own government and parliament. 

Switzerland has a very successful and strong economy with low unemployment and the highest per capita GDP than any other major European economy.  The Swiss economy has a substantial services sector especially banking, insurance and tourism complemented by a diversified manufacturing base. 

There are no current plans for Switzerland to join the EU and Switzerland has negotiated a set of bilateral agreements with the EU on a number of issues.  Swiss laws continue to be made compatible with EU legislation.