SP and SVP do not want to be “all-in”: the Federal Council is starting the next round of EU poker

To ensure peace, the party leaders received the press release about the EU decision from the Federal Council of the FDFA early on. So they knew: nothing new in the West.

Or nothing more than expected: the Federal Council has a mandate drawn up for negotiations with the European Union. In doing so, he largely accepts what was discussed in the exploratory talks with Brussels. And he makes it clear that he considers the explorations over. “However, some topics still need to be explored in depth,” it says.

Parmelin and Baume-Schneider are said to have driven Cassis into the parade

Both employers and employees are affected by the fact that the declaration rules of the country of origin, for example Bulgaria, should apply to employees of EU companies that carry out assignments in Switzerland. With the usual cost of lunch in Sofia, it can be difficult to buy a bratwurst at the Zurich Star Grill.

Minister of Economic Affairs Guy Parmelin (63) is also said to have made it clear to the Federal Council that Switzerland would not accept this. It is said that other federal councilors were unhappy with these and other points. When leftists report that the SP federal councilors have criticized inadequate wage protection, that sounds plausible, but it could be wishful thinking. In any case, Parmelin and Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (59) Cassis entered the parade, according to a co-report.

The critical voices of the SVP and SP have so far made a successful referendum on the planned EU solution unlikely. From the way in which the decision of the Federal Council was communicated, there are now many indications that not everything is yet clear.

Question marks remain

The Federal Council therefore – probably contrary to what Cassis had hoped – does not simply want to convert the exploratory results into a solution, but actually negotiate on certain points.

Many question marks still remain. The Federal Council would like to make new agreements possible in areas such as food safety, health and especially electricity. Only: when it comes to electricity, the EU requires the liberalization of our electricity market as a condition. Leftists see this as an attack on our public services.

On the other hand, according to Blick’s information, the Federal Council has also submitted a discussion paper. It analyzed the impact of stricter EU rules on state aid in public transport – especially at SBB. The newspaper made it completely clear: as long as the railway only operates domestic traffic, state support for the SBB is problem-free.

The plan is to present a draft negotiating mandate with the EU at the end of this year and then submit it to parliament and the cantons for consultation. Only when the mandate is in place can actual negotiations begin in the spring of 2024.