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French President Emmanuel Macron (45) and his wife Brigitte (70) will pay a state visit to Switzerland next Wednesday and Thursday. The program includes stops in Bern, Lausanne and Geneva.
The couple is welcomed by Federal President Alain Berset (51) and his wife Muriel (47). For Berset, who will leave the Federal Council at the end of this year, Macron’s visit will undoubtedly be a highlight of his work as a federal councilor.
The last state visit by a French president took place in April 2015 with then-president François Hollande (69). During this two-day meeting, Bern and Paris celebrated their reconciliation after years of tax disputes that started under Nicolas Sarkozy (68).
Relaxed relationships, but taboo topics
It is true that French-Swiss relations have softened considerably. The good personal relationship between Berset and Macron certainly played a role. Berset’s Ministry of the Interior (EDI) also announced in advance: Relations between the two countries are of great importance, especially in the areas of economy, research, energy, environment, health and mobility.
Switzerland’s aim to stabilize and expand the bilateral path with the European Union (EU) should therefore also be discussed. And yet a look at the program shows that certain hot topics are not allowed to be discussed during the state visit.
The “UBS case”
The first major absentees from Macron’s visit are the business and financial circles. The French president is considered the darling of multinational companies. Because: They invest massively in his country.
This probably also has to do with the “UBS case”. On the Wednesday of Macron’s trip to Switzerland, the highest French court will decide whether to uphold the appeal ruling from December 2021, in which the major Swiss bank was sentenced to a fine of 1.8 billion euros.
German-speaking Switzerland
Another point missing from Macron’s flying visit is German-speaking Switzerland. No visit to Zurich, where his predecessor Hollande stayed in April 2015 before returning to French-speaking Switzerland by train.
Not even in Basel, where the distribution of tax revenues from Basel-Mulhouse airport has been putting pressure on generally good neighborly relations for years. Macron, who is dealing with difficult relations with Germany, was probably not in the mood for a linguistic adventure.
F-35 fighter jet
The Swiss purchase of fighter planes caused an interim low point in the improving relations between the two countries. Instead of the French Rafale, Switzerland opted for the American F-35.
According to those around him, Macron will not tackle France’s lack of understanding of the Federal Council’s decision head-on in his public speeches. In the speech on ‘European engagement’ he should therefore take up his oft-repeated idea of ’strategic autonomy’. Probably peppered with references to the new European Political Community, whose next summit could take place in Switzerland in 2025.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
