Barroso: Zwitserland moet steun aan nieuwe lidstaten handhaven (en)

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso has warned Switzerland not to back down on its €640 million aid pledge to the ten newest EU member states.

He told Swiss radio that if a possible referendum were to turn down Switzerland's contribution to the EU's so-called cohesion fund, it would send a wrong signal to the new members, reports NZZ Online.

"It would be a bad sign for Europe and for the new member states," Mr Barroso said according to AFP news agency.

"The fact that there is stability and an internal market with unified rules in Europe is already of great advantage to Switzerland," he added.

Last February, the Swiss cabinet hammered out a 1 billion Swiss franc (€640 million) aid package to contribute to the EU's cohesion fund for the bloc's new members over the next five years.

But right-wing parties in Switzerland are challenging the bill by appealing for a referendum.

Switzerland is not a member of the EU but has signed a number of bilateral agreements with the 25-strong body, in which it has also committed to contribute to the union's solidarity tools.

One of them is the cohesion fund which aims to sponsor projects that help poorer EU countries develop their social and economic infrastructure, mainly in the field of environment and transport.

The green light to Bern's package came after long discussions with Brussels, due to the Swiss condition that its financial injection should be used exclusively for the ten new countries which joined the EU in 2004 - and not for "old" Europe.

According to the plan, the first payments will be made in 2007.