Switzerland wants to bring talks with the EU to a successful conclusion. This was said by Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis on Tuesday during a meeting with Vice-President of the EU Commission Maros Sefcovic in Brussels.
The meeting served to determine the position of the exploratory talks between Switzerland and the EU, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) wrote after the meeting on Tuesday.
According to the EDA, the two politicians also spoke about “the progress made at the technical and diplomatic level” and about “the outstanding questions and the steps” that need to be clarified in the coming months.
A total of ten reconnaissance rounds have taken place so far. As a result, the Bundesrat approved benchmarks for the negotiating mandate at the end of June.
Exchange privately
On Tuesday, Cassis and Sefcovic reaffirmed their willingness to “continue to provide positive momentum to the process,” as the EDA statement went on to say. They wanted to keep exchanging information on a regular basis.
During the meeting, the two politicians were alone. The face-to-face interview lasted approximately one hour. They were joined by their delegations at the subsequent working lunch.
The Swiss Foreign Minister and the EU Commissioner last met in Bern in mid-March. Sefcovic then also held various talks with foreign politicians as well as with the social partners and the cantons. For his part, Cassis was in Brussels for the last time in November 2021.
Report on Switzerland in committee
Also on Tuesday, the EU Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs approved Conservative MEP Lukas Mandl’s report on relations between Switzerland and the EU by 51 votes to three.
“The EU and Switzerland need a new package of agreements that creates confidence, stability, jobs and well-being,” the commission wrote. Because he currently considers the relationship between Switzerland and the EU to be “unbalanced”.
MEPs are calling on the European Commission and the Federal Council to use “the brief opportunity” to end negotiations before the end of the mandate of the European Commission and the EU Parliament. The European elections will take place in mid-2024. In view of the remaining time, the committee wrote to regret that the Federal Council did not want to make a decision on the mandate until the end of 2023.
The report on Switzerland is expected to be approved by the EU parliament in September. (sda)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
