EU Commissioner on framework agreements
The German EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger does not believe that an agreement on a framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland will be reached in the second half of the year.
The German EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger said in an interview that Switzerland had to wait a long time for the EU framework agreement. (Archive picture)
–Keystone/Julien Warnand
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- EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger does not believe in a quick agreement on a framework agreement with Switzerland.
- First of all, the exact procedure for Brexit must be clear.
- According to him, Switzerland’s neighboring countries are very interested in reaching an agreement.
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The German EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger sees no agreement between Switzerland and the EU on a framework agreement in sight. “I don’t think there will be an agreement in the second half of the year,” he told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Monday.
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First of all, the exact process of Brexit must be clear, he explained. The willingness for approval is likely to be low, it was said. “But that should be a focus next year, so that it doesn’t become a neverending story,” emphasized Oettinger.
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France, Italy, Austria and Germany are particularly interested in the EU agreement with Switzerland, said the 66-year-old. “They have the strongest economic and neighborly relationships,” he said. In this respect, Germany has an interest even after the EU Council Presidency to put the topic high on the agenda in Brussels, Oettinger emphasized.
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(SDA / chk)
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