The negotiations with the EU in five acts
Published: Friday, Dec 20th 2024, 05:40
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Switzerland and the EU have been negotiating the future bilateral relationship for nine months. Below are the most important key dates of the negotiation process to date:
COMMON UNDERSTANDING: The Common Understanding served as the basis for the negotiating mandates of the Federal Council and the European Commission. The document, which is dated October 27, 2023, was published in mid-December 2023. It defined what is to be negotiated. It also set out initial exceptions for Switzerland.
START OF NEGOTIATIONS: On March 18, 2024, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received President Viola Amherd in Brussels to launch the negotiations. Prior to this, both sides drew up their respective negotiating mandates. The aim was to conclude the negotiations this year, as von der Leyen said. On the same day, Switzerland was also approved for certain grants under the EU's "Horizon Europe" research program.
SEFCOVIC CANCELS VISIT: In June, EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic was scheduled to visit Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Switzerland. This visit was canceled by the EU Commission in mid-June. At the time, the timing for a bilateral meeting was not yet right, according to the explanation given. A few weeks later, "substantial progress" was announced following a telephone conversation between Cassis and Sefcovic. Specifically, access for researchers in Switzerland to the EU research program "Horizon Europe" was extended.
EU STATES TAKE A POSITION: At a Council meeting in Luxembourg in October, the EU member states rejected a unilateral Swiss safeguard clause on the movement of persons. There is no support in the EU for a unilateral safeguard clause, said EU Commissioner Sefcovic. The Swiss negotiating team had demanded a clarification of the existing safeguard clause.
SEFCOVIC TRAVELS TO BERN: On November 27, Foreign Minister Cassis received EU Commissioner Sefcovic at the Lohn country residence in Kehrsatz near Bern for a working meeting and dinner. From this point onwards, the two politicians intensified their mutual contact. They spoke on the phone twice in mid-December to discuss the "final steps in the negotiations".
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