Handelsverband schlägt gemäßigte Töne bei EU-Verhandlungen an
Published: Sunday, Apr 28th 2024, 03:31
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The Swiss Trade Association wants to be more open to negotiations with the EU in future. "In future, we will place greater emphasis on the fact that new agreements with the EU are very important for many SMEs," said association president Fabio Regazzi in an interview.
If Switzerland were to allow the old treaties with the European Union (EU) to erode instead of renewing them, exports to the EU would become increasingly difficult. Regazzi said this in an interview with Tamedia's Sunday newspapers. People tend to forget that not only large corporations, but also around 40 percent of SMEs are export-oriented.
In the past, the trade association (SGV) had opposed the framework agreement with the EU, which was ultimately abandoned. There are still critical points in the EU dossier, said Regazzi in a recent interview. The association will only agree to new EU agreements if wage protection is fully guaranteed. Otherwise there would be a threat of wage dumping, said the Ticino member of the Council of States.
"No more objections"
On other points, the trade association is "quite prepared to compromise". For example, in disputes between Switzerland and the EU. The trade association is still unhappy that the European Court of Justice is playing a role in this. However, it will not be possible to completely prevent this, said Regazzi.
It must also be ensured that the new EU treaties do not undermine the social security system. "But we no longer have any fundamental objections here," he said.
In March, the SIA welcomed the negotiating mandate adopted by the Federal Council. In 2021, the umbrella association had still opposed the Federal Council's draft agreement on the framework agreement. When asked about the softer tone, the trade association president said: "The SIA is politically established, now we can be a little more moderate in our style."
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