Brexit and getting closer to Switzerland

As Brexit "exit day"  appears to get closer (currently, 11pm UK time on 31st October 2019), the UK is ramping up its efforts to conclude co-operation agreements with with countries outside EU.

Foremost amongst them is Switzerland, a country which probably knows more than any other about what life is like on the fringes of the EU.

On 10th July 2019, The UK and Switzerland announced that they had that day signed an agreement committing to continue their joint efforts to tackle cross-border crime and terrorism post- Brexit.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter and UK Home Secretary Sajid David on behalf of their respective governments sets out   the two countries ' commitments to co-operate on areas such as counter-terrorism and financial crime, while also seeking to increase the sharing of information and closer liaison between police forces.

On the same day, UK Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Mme  Keller-Sutter also signed a transitional migration agreement , which would allow people from the UK and Switzerland to continue to apply for jobs and work in each other's countries until December 2020 in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

These agreements come on top of the agreement between the two countries in February 2019 aimed at safeguarding the rights of UK and Swiss nationals  living in each other's countries at the time of Brexit and also regulating social security claims and the recognition of professional qualifications relaqting to  UK and Swiss nationals in each other's countries.

It seems likely that the political and economic relationship between the UK and Switzerland will get ever stronger as the UK seeks to identify its new place in the World.