Press releases, 23.12.2020

On 23 December, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis held a press conference alongside State Secretary for International Finance Daniela Stoffel and members of the State Council of the Canton of Ticino following the signing, in Rome, of the new agreement between Switzerland and Italy on the taxation of cross-border commuters. The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) underscored how the agreement strengthened bilateral and cross-border relations between the two countries by redefining the tax regime applicable to cross-border commuters in the long term.

During the press conference, which was held in Bellinzona, Mr Cassis stated that the agreement – signed this morning in Rome by State Secretary for International Finance Daniela Stoffel – reaffirmed the vitality of relations between Switzerland and Italy. Mr Cassis also thanked the authorities of the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden and Valais for their cooperation in finding a solution. The new agreement updates the tax regime that will apply to Italian cross-border commuters.

Fruitful relations between Switzerland and Italy in 2020 consolidated through the resolution of various issues
The signing of the agreement helps strengthen bilateral relations between Switzerland and Italy. In 2020, these relations also deepened as a result of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences at bilateral and regional levels. In this respect, there were very frequent and fruitful high-level contacts between the two countries, as evidenced by the visit of the President of the Swiss Confederation to Rome in September and the meeting between Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio in Ticino in June. These contacts heightened the respective authorities' awareness of the importance of their mutual partnership and created a favourable climate for the conclusion of bilateral agreements negotiated over several years. In addition to the agreement on the taxation of cross-border commuters, other key agreements were signed in 2020 in the areas of transport, rail traffic and trade.

This favourable context has highlighted the importance of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Italy, which is Switzerland's third-largest trading partner after Germany and the United States. The total volume of trade in goods and services between the two countries amounts to almost CHF 1 billion per week.


Further information:

Bilateral relations Switzerland–Italy


Address for enquiries:

FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA


Publisher:

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Last update 19.07.2023

  • FDFA Communication answers media queries Mondays to Fridays during office hours and operates a weekend emergency on-call service.

Contact

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West
3003 Bern

Phone (for journalists only):
+41 58 460 55 55

Phone (for all other requests):
+41 58 462 31 53

Start of page