European integration and Switzerland. Quo vadis?

Since the post-World War II period, the European integration process has decisively shaped the course of the continent, both internally as well as in terms of Europe’s role and influence at world stage. Even though never joining the European Union, the Swiss Confederation has in the past shown an active interest in the European project by contributing to the creation of the European Economic Area (EEA / EWR) in the early 1990s and later getting associated to the EU internal market, the Schengen area and other EU policies via bilateral agreements. Switzerland’s recent withdrawal from the common project of an Institutional Framework Agreement, supposed to cement the so-called Bilateral Way, raises questions regarding Switzerland’s interaction with the EU Internal Market and the future of EU-Swiss relations.