Switzerland and the European Union (EU) signed nine agreements in Luxembourg Tuesday to strengthen border control cooperation and promote bilateral financial and economic ties.  

The series of agreements were signed by Swiss President Joseph Deiss, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and Dutch Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner.

The agreements are a follow-up to the conclusions of the EU-Switzerland summit meeting held in Brussels on May 19.

The signing of the Schengen agreement is intended to link Switzerland more closely with the Schengen area. If Switzerland ratifies the agreement and adopts requested measures, the border controls on persons crossing from Switzerland into EU member states participating in Schengen will be lifted.

Under the agreement on financial issues, the Swiss side promised to apply, from July 1, 2005, measures equivalent to those laid down in the EU's Savings Income Directive.

The directives include a withholding tax on savings interest paid to residents of EU member states, exchange of information in cases of tax fraud and voluntary disclosure of information on interest payments if the taxpayer so agrees.

Other agreements signed Tuesday covered agricultural products, statistics, media training and environmental issues.

EU officials said the nine agreements would open a new chapter in relations between the EU and Switzerland.

(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2004)