[House Document 113-75]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



113th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 113-75


 
 AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL SECURITY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SWISS 
                             CONFEDERATION

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 AN AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL SECURITY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
      AND THE SWISS CONFEDERATION, PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)




  December 9, 2013.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
    Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, 
as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public 
Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith an 
Agreement on Social Security between the United States of 
America and the Swiss Confederation, signed at Bern on December 
3, 2012, (the ``U.S.-Swiss Agreement''). The Agreement consists 
of two instruments: a principal agreement and an administrative 
arrangement, and upon entry into force, will replace: the 
Agreement between the United States of America and the Swiss 
Confederation on Social Security with final protocol, signed 
July 18, 1979; the Administrative Agreement between the United 
States of America and the Swiss Confederation for the 
Implementation of the Agreement on Social Security of July 18, 
1979, signed December 20, 1979; and the Supplementary Agreement 
between the two Contracting States, signed June 1, 1988.
    The U.S.-Swiss Agreement is similar in objective to the 
social security agreements already in force with most of the 
European Union member states, Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, 
Norway, and the Republic of Korea. Such bilateral agreements 
provide for limited coordination between the United States and 
foreign social security systems to eliminate dual social 
security coverage and taxation and to help prevent the lost 
benefit protection that can occur when workers divide their 
careers between two countries. The principal updates 
encompassed in the Agreement include amendments to rules for 
entitlement to Swiss disability pensions paid to ensure 
equality of treatments between U.S. and Swiss nationals, 
updates to personal information confidentiality provisions, and 
modifications necessary to take into account changes in U.S. 
and Swiss laws since 1988.
    The U.S.-Swiss Agreement contains all provisions mandated 
by section 233 of the Social Security Act and other provisions 
that I deem appropriate to carry out the purposes of section 
233, pursuant to section 233(c)(4) of the Social Security Act.
    I also transmit, for the information of the Congress, a 
report prepared by the Social Security Administration 
explaining the key points of the U.S.-Swiss Agreement, along 
with a paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of the provisions of 
the principal agreement and administrative arrangement. Annexed 
to this report is the report required by section 233(e)(1) of 
the Social Security Act on the number of individuals affected 
by the Agreement and the effect of the Agreement on the 
estimated income and expenditures of the U.S. Social Security 
program. The Department of State and the Social Security 
Administration have recommended the U.S.-Swiss Agreement and 
related documents to me.
    I commend the U.S.-Swiss Agreement on Social Security and 
related documents.

                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, December 9, 2013.

    
    
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