BERLIN (AP) — Switzerland has approved a change to its environmental legislation allowing companies to take part in the European Union’s emissions trading system.

The measures agreed Wednesday mean that civil aviation and fossil fuel power stations will be included in the Swiss emissions trading system, as is already the case in the EU.

Switzerland, which is surrounded by but not part of the EU, has numerous agreements to facilitate trade in goods and services with the 28-nation bloc.

By linking the two systems from Jan. 1, companies in Switzerland and the EU will be placed on an equal footing in their efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that are blamed for climate change.

Harmonizing emissions trading rules is a key issue at next month’s global climate conference in Madrid.