President Amherd wants to stabilize relations with the EU
Published: Tuesday, Jun 25th 2024, 14:10
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The President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, sees a challenge not only for Swiss industry, but also for politics in a world characterized by upheaval. "In an increasingly uncertain international situation, the Federal Council wants to maintain Switzerland's security, prosperity, competitiveness and innovative strength," she said on Tuesday at Industry Day in Bern.
Amherd went on to say that it was particularly important to stabilize the good relations with the EU on the basis of the bilateral agreements and to expand them where appropriate. In the negotiations, Switzerland is pursuing the goal of securing economic advantages for Swiss companies through permanent participation in the EU internal market.
The negotiation package also included a say in internal market rules, new agreements such as those on securing the electricity supply and access to EU research programs. Furthermore, cooperation with the EU on consumer protection and the prevention of health threats is also important.
The head of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) went on to say that the Federal Council's goal is to conclude the negotiations before the end of the year. "Our motto is 'as quickly as possible, as slowly as necessary'."
Investing in security
According to Amherd, Switzerland's security is also a national concern and a decisive location factor. Although the security-related industry has become smaller in recent decades as a result of cuts in army spending, the country must now adapt to the new reality.
"If we want to strengthen our capacities and have some particularly important goods and relevant key technologies at our disposal, we must ensure that Swiss industry can participate abroad," Amherd made clear.
The industry needs planning security and the Federal Office for Armaments (Armasuisse) will support this by concluding longer-term contracts with companies again, Amherd promised. In addition, the intention is to bring as many investments back to Switzerland as possible.
"The aim is not to develop and produce complete systems ourselves," explained Amherd. In a modern world with a modern army, that would be illusory and too expensive. However, Switzerland has a lot to offer in key components such as defense systems and drone technology.
©Keystone/SDA
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