The Swiss association of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) says it favours closer cooperation with the European Union and reforms of the Swiss market.
SMEs - those with up to 250 employees - form the backbone of the national economy and account for well over two-thirds of the workforce in Switzerland.
“The existence of Switzerland depends, as a small open economy, on a free market and on not clashing with other countries, in particular the EU,” said Edi Engelberger, the association’s president, at a meeting in Bern on Thursday.
The association said that it supported Switzerland’s bilateral agreements with the EU and would fight any moves to stop them coming into force.
SMEs, which represent 99.7 per cent of the country’s 300,000 companies, are calling for reforms of the Swiss economy. This includes liberalising the electricity market and increasing competition.
