Negotiations on the institutional framework agreement between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) have been dragging on for the past five years. Demands for such an agreement have been around even longer. The current logjam is over the Swiss labor rules. However, the EU has made it clear that «time is pressing and the window of opportunity is closing…» Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has lately said that it is «written in the stars» whether a breakthrough is possible by the end of the year. As the current debate is entirely focused around the question of the institutional framework agreement, there is even more uncertainty on what comes next. In point of fact, there is a risk of a gap between the conclusion of the institutional framework agreement and the launch of new market access negotiations. With this in mind, this policy brief proposes the inclusion of a provision whereby both parties pledge to continue negotiations on new market access agreements ex post conclusion of the institutional framework agreement without further delay.