Swiss parliament withdraws bid to join EU

GENEVA (AA) - The Swiss parliament invalidated its 1992 application to join the European Union Wednesday, just a week before the U.K. decides where to leave the bloc in a referendum, according to the Swiss media Thursday.

The upper house of the Swiss parliament had voted to clarify the current situation of the country’s longstanding EU application.

Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said Switzerland’s application for EU membership was now invalid and should be withdrawn.

In 1992, Swiss voters rejected joining the single-market European Economic area and in the same year, the Swiss Cabinet backed the application for EU membership, while Swiss voters rejected that bid and the application for EU membership remained ineffective.

In Switzerland, a national referendum is required to join the EU.