Negotiations with Brussels: the last stand of Ignazio Cassis

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Ignazio Cassis (62) is currently on a roll. For many this comes unexpectedly. Both friends and opponents accuse the head of the EDA of his tortuous course, the Ticino native is seen as discouraged in the federal parliament and in the run-up to the federal council elections he suddenly found himself the shaky candidate.

At the moment, however, the FDP magistrate appears to be remarkably trouble-free. He is rallying international supporters for a peace summit with Ukraine. And now the future strategy for the EU file: on Friday Cassis presented the negotiating mandate. Almost three years after the failure of the framework agreement, the Federal Council is making a new attempt in its relationship with Brussels.

The new negotiator Patric Franzen (54) does not have much time: on March 18, Federal President Viola Amherd (61) will travel to Brussels with a delegation and initiate the round of negotiations.

The European elections are already on June 9. After that, the other side will become more concerned with itself, with new people in important positions. There are less than three months left for a viable negotiation outcome. The result will still have to overcome the hurdle with the electorate: this vote is fateful not only for the nation, but also for the political career of Ignazio Cassis.

Baseball cap with EU stars and stripes

The Minister of Foreign Affairs relies on a new level of transparency: everything the Federal Council wants to discuss with Brussels can be read on seven pages. Neither the SVP nor the unions may later claim that the state government is playing a double game with the EU.

Cassis has another trump card in the Chamber of the Federal Council: with the election of Beat Jans (59), the Seventh Committee is much more Europe-friendly. Predecessor Alain Berset (51) and ex-SP federal councilor Simonetta Sommaruga (63) were among the EU brakes, while Jans from Basel is considered an EU turbo. When the SP said goodbye to Berset in Geneva, Jans wore a baseball cap with the stars and stripes of the EU – a gift for his election campaign in the Council of Europe, but also a clear statement that the hour has now come for EU friends .

But Cassis’s most important ally is Viola Amherd. The VBS boss is under great pressure. Hardly a week goes by without scandals. Only on Friday did SRF reveal further inconsistencies in the army’s finances. To ensure that her presidential year does not consist exclusively of bankruptcies, bad luck and tanks, Amherd urgently needs success. A breakthrough in Brussels would come at exactly the right time.

As a Valaisian, she knows how closely Switzerland and the EU are connected: her canton borders Italy and France. The most powerful woman in the Federal Council, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter (60), is keeping a remarkably low profile these days.

It’s Brussels’ turn

On the one hand, she must support her party friend Cassis, but on the other hand, the FDP has not yet found a clear position on the European issue. She played a key role in the fight against the framework agreement in the Federal Council.

Only in the SVP is there clarity: Federal councilors Albert Rösti (56) and Guy Parmelin (64) stand on the party line and reject negotiations with the EU.

The unions are also taking a position. With one difference: SGB president Pierre-Yves Maillard (55) does not see himself as a blocker, but rather as a majority buyer with pro-European DNA. If Cassis and his negotiators were to provide substantial support to the workers, they would have the left on their side. However, this currently seems unlikely given the unions’ fundamental opposition to the mandate.

Now it is Brussels’ turn. Petros Mavromichalis (59), EU Ambassador in Bern, told Blick: “We welcome the approval of the final negotiating mandate by the Federal Council. Work on the EU mandate is also well advanced. The European Council of Ministers will make a decision on this soon. Then negotiations can start – I hope this month.”

But those opposed to the negotiations are not sleeping. The SVP will launch its major campaign against Europe on Tuesday. And for Cassis, this is the start of the most important fight of his political career.

Source:Blick