Switzerland's Federal Department of Finance reported that the Federal Council has decided to remove the European Union from the list of jurisdictions covered by Switzerland’s measure to protect the Swiss stock exchange infrastructure, deactivating the protective measure for the EU with effect from 1 May 2025. The protective measure was activated in 2019 after the EU did not recognise the equivalence of Switzerland’s stock exchange regulation, temporarily ensuring that EU securities firms could continue trading Swiss company equities on Swiss trading venues. Following EU legal changes in spring 2024 that lifted restrictions on EU firms trading Swiss equities, an overall assessment concluded that the Swiss measure vis-à-vis the EU is no longer necessary and could in some cases have repercussions for Swiss companies, including in mergers with EU companies. Switzerland will continue to pursue recognition of equivalence and improved EU market access for Swiss financial service providers through the regulatory dialogue on financial markets that resumed in summer 2024.