STRASBOURG (Reuters) – The European Commission decided on Tuesday to offer Switzerland six additional months to agree on a new treaty that will govern the country’s future relations with the European Union, two EU sources told Reuters.

The political decision, to be formalized after talks with EU leaders in Brussels this week, would allow Swiss stock exchanges to maintain access to EU clients until the end of June under a temporary extension of the “equivalence” regime that permits foreign financial firms to operate in the 28-country bloc.

The Swiss government on Friday dodged an EU deadline to agree on a draft treaty by the end of this year and said it would revisit the subject in spring 2019 after political consultations.

No decision will be announced on Tuesday, a commission spokeswoman said.

But the two senior officials said the political decision had been made.

“It is a last gesture of goodwill from our side accompanying their consultation, which runs into spring,” one told Reuters.

The move is a U-turn from the more belligerent stance Brussels had adopted until last week.

The Commission told EU diplomats last week that it would not have extended the equivalence regime for Swiss exchanges after it expires in December, if they did not agree on a new treaty by the end of the year, minutes of an EU meeting show.

Talks over a new treaty, which would replace more than 120 sectorial pacts currently regulating EU-Swiss relations, have been ongoing for more than four years.