Negotiations with the EU are about to be concluded
Published: Friday, Dec 20th 2024, 05:40
Volver a Live Feed
The conclusion of negotiations with the EU is expected in Bern this Friday. The Federal Council is expected to discuss the dossier at its meeting. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could travel to Switzerland to conclude the talks.
The Federal Council held an initial discussion on the EU dossier at its meeting last week. According to various media reports, the national government will decide whether to conclude the negotiations at its meeting on Friday. The reports could not be confirmed, as the Federal Council has sovereignty over the agenda until the very end.
According to research by SRF, the Federal Council decided last Friday to unravel the treaty package. This could result in up to four referendums and four separate referendums, as the Tamedia newspapers also wrote.
In response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) replied that the Federal Council would address the issue of the structure of the package in due course.
Brussels expects early conclusion
An end to the negotiations was expected in Brussels this week, as Keystone-SDA learned from various diplomatic sources. It was time to "relax" the relationship between the EU and Switzerland, they said. A "historic agreement" is expected to be concluded soon, the Belgian Minister for European Affairs said on Tuesday on the fringes of a Council meeting.
Last week, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic spoke on the phone twice to discuss the final steps in the negotiations. In particular, the two politicians are likely to have discussed the amount of the cohesion contribution that Switzerland pays to the EU for its participation in the European single market. It was reported that the negotiating parties had already reached agreement on the other issues.
Von der Leyen's trip to Switzerland
It remained unclear until the last minute whether EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would travel to Switzerland to meet President Viola Amherd for the conclusion. Both politicians had jointly given the go-ahead for the negotiations in Brussels on March 18.
Over the past nine months, Bern and Brussels have been negotiating to regulate future joint relations. The aim was to update existing agreements and conclude new ones.
As soon as the negotiations are over, the Federal Council should start work on submitting the dossier to Parliament. If approved by Parliament, the treaties would have to be submitted to the Swiss electorate in one or more votes.
©Keystone/SDA
Spanish 
English 
German 
French 
Arabic