EU ambassador to Switzerland confident about future agreement
Published: Sunday, Dec 17th 2023, 19:40
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The ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Switzerland, Petros Mavromichalis from Greece, is confident that a package of agreements between Switzerland and the EU will be concluded. The advantages would far outweigh the potential disadvantages.
"I think there is some certainty that what is on the table is pretty close to an agreement that can meet with the approval of both sides," Mavromichalis said in an interview with the "Forum" program on French-speaking Swiss television RTS on Sunday.
"We are not starting from scratch," said the ambassador. Switzerland and the EU have been negotiating institutional issues for almost 15 years. "During the exploratory talks, we focused on the most sensitive issues and tried to find out whether there was a way to resolve them to the satisfaction of both sides."
According to Mavromichalis, Switzerland will primarily benefit from maintaining and strengthening a model of relations with the EU that is tailored to and suitable for it. "In addition, for example, we will be able to draft and conclude three new agreements that Switzerland has requested."
Ambassador: No fear of voting
The ambassador countered fears in Switzerland of a loss of sovereignty or pressure on wages: "We are not talking about Switzerland joining the EU, which would mean a division of sovereignty with the other member states. We are simply talking about Switzerland's participation in the single market and therefore compliance with its rules."
As far as the pressure on wages is concerned, this is scaremongering, said Petros Mavromichalis. Switzerland is not an isolated case. The EU member states also have very different wage levels and very different economic development.
The Greek is confident that he can convince the Swiss population of the benefits of new treaties: "I think that most votes on the EU issue have been won in Switzerland. You shouldn't be afraid of that."
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