Clear announcement from Brussels: Federal Council must quickly issue EU mandate The mountaintop that wandered: Rosablanche’s riddle

Something is happening between Bern and Brussels. Shortly before the summer holidays, the Federal Council appointed a new chief negotiator: Alexandre Fasel succeeded Livia Leu as State Secretary at the Foreign Affairs Department. On Friday there was the first contact between Fasel and the head of the European Commission’s cabinet, Jurai Nociar. It was one of several talks in Brussels between representatives of the EU and Switzerland that took place over three days.

What was especially revealing was what EU chief negotiator Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission, said. Although nothing of substance was communicated after the meeting with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Brussels in July, Šefčovič now spoke clearly to the Swiss delegation.

The EU chief said exploratory talks between Brussels and Bern would continue on September 21. In an hour-long discussion with the Swiss group, led by Lucerne Dialogue President Marcel Stalder, Šefčovič formulated his ideas. “The EU believes that, after the exploratory talks, the Federal Council will issue an official mandate for renewed negotiations with the EU,” Stalder summarizes.

The EU obviously wants to pick up the pace, because if negotiations have to take place, they will have to do so quickly, from January to July 2024. After that, the EU elections will be central; Only in 2027, according to the signal from Brussels, will there be time for Switzerland again.

The EU first wants to clarify institutional issues

The “Lucerne Dialogue” (formerly the European Forum) is a politically independent platform advocating regulated relations between Switzerland and the EU and consists mainly of business representatives. It was established after the EEA vote in 1992. President Stalder says about the talks: “Šefčovič understood that Switzerland is not interested in negotiating a new framework agreement that would fundamentally solve the relationship with the EU, but that he wants vertical, sectoral issues clarify. .»

The EU’s chief negotiator signaled his willingness, but made one thing clear, says Stalder: “First, institutional issues, i.e. central issues such as the free movement of people, must be resolved; only then can we negotiate on sectoral issues.”

It sounds as if the EU does not want to give in on the key points that ultimately led to the Federal Council rejecting the framework agreement in May 2021. At the time, the state government broke off negotiations with the EU without communicating a plan B.

The EU man needs time for Switzerland

Šefčovič now seems to demonstratively take a lot of time for Swiss entrepreneurs and other interest groups, such as the Basiliensis Region, whose chairman, former CVP state councilor Kathrin Amacker, was also in Brussels. The message could be: the EU is still dissatisfied with the Federal Council, but is fundamentally interested in a dialogue with Switzerland. Šefčovič’s visit to the University of Fribourg in the spring and informal meetings with the foreign policy committees fit into this picture.

According to Stalder, the EU chief negotiator has the following plan: “We will build on the exploratory talks and work to define so-called ‘landing zones’ for all central issues – i.e. leeway within which solutions should be found later as part of the official negotiations. “

According to reports from the Swiss delegation, the talks in Brussels showed that Switzerland does not enjoy much goodwill from the EU or our neighbors. “People are annoyed that Switzerland wants to participate in the European single market, but is having such a hard time accepting the common rules that apply to trade in this market,” says Stalder. But the relationship is certainly not broken. He quotes Šefčovič, who said: “I am a trained diplomat, let me summarize the current relationship between the EU and Switzerland as suboptimal.” Diplomatically, the relationship is “suboptimal”.

The Swiss delegation also exchanged views with Swiss compatriots in Brussels, such as Ambassador Rita Adam, Head of the Swiss Mission to the EU, with Ambassador Philippe Brandt, Head of the Swiss Embassy in Belgium and the Swiss Mission to NATO, and with Division Officer Peter Wanner, Switzerland’s military representative to the EU and NATO. (aargauerzeitung.ch)