Vie, Nov 10th 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron is coming to Switzerland for a two-day state visit at the invitation of the Federal Council. The aim is to deepen diplomatic relations with France, which are steeped in tradition, and to press ahead with important bilateral dossiers.
Macron will be received with military honors on the Federal Square next Wednesday (15 November) by the Federal Council in corpore, according to the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). This will be followed by official speeches in the Federal Palace and political talks in the Bernerhof.
Bilateral and cross-border relations with France are of great importance in several areas, according to the communiqué. The FDHA mentions the economy, research, energy, the environment, health and mobility.
In addition to bilateral dossiers, issues of European security and prosperity as well as Switzerland’s goals for the stabilization and further development of the bilateral path with the EU will be discussed. It was only on Wednesday that the Federal Council decided to prepare a draft mandate for new negotiations with Brussels.
Presentation in Lausanne
Current international issues will also be discussed, as well as cooperation in the UN Security Council, international Geneva and science diplomacy. The last time a French president paid a state visit to Switzerland was François Hollande in 2015.
On the second day of the state visit, President Alain Berset and Macron travel to Lausanne to visit the Jean Monnet Foundation. The archives of the pioneer of European unification are kept there.
At the University of Lausanne, Macron will give a lecture to students on the challenges facing the continent. A visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva is also on the agenda.
©Keystone/SDA
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