Hope for new impulses at the Tête-à-Tête in Bern
The 8th exploratory round between State Secretary Livia Leu and the EU Commission did not bring about a breakthrough either. A working lunch between Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic should now bring new impetus.
State Secretary Livia Leu sees progress in the talks with Brussels, but also many unanswered questions, such as dispute settlement.
Foto: Gaëtan Bally (Keystone)
Perhaps a confidential tête-à-tête will help: Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will receive EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic for a working lunch in Bern on Wednesday evening next week. In any case, new political impulses would not harm the talks at official level: “We have made concrete progress, but there are still differences,” said State Secretary Livia Leu on Tuesday in Brussels after the 8th round of exploratory talks with Juraj Nociar, the head of cabinet of the EU Commission -Vice President Maros Sefcovic. A breakthrough between Brussels and Bern is not in sight.
standstill
It’s been like this for a year now, and the statements from both sides hardly differ from time to time. A location determination was made, the development was “fundamentally positive,” said Leu. Exactly where progress has been made is difficult to assess. Among other things, Switzerland sees it as positive that the EU is accepting the package solution aimed for after the termination of the framework agreement with new market access, for example for electricity. Brussels also grants Switzerland exceptions to the dynamic adoption of EU law. There was much speculation about EU concessions on wage protection and the free movement of people. However, some things were already on the table two years ago.
According to the State Secretary, the time is not yet ripe to start negotiations. The necessary basis is not yet guaranteed. The EU actually wanted to conclude the soundings in December and start negotiations in the summer in order to reach a conclusion before the end of the mandate of the current Commission at the end of 2024. The timetable hardly seems realistic anymore. It is still unclear how the dispute settlement will be structured and how often the European Court of Justice will be involved. On the other hand, Switzerland seems to accept the principle of the ECJ as the arbiter of last resort when it comes to the interpretation of EU law.
EU expects “commitment”
“We expect a high degree of precision and commitment from our Swiss interlocutors before we consider the next steps,” says the EU Commission. After the unilateral termination of the framework agreement, one no longer wants to take any risks. The reason for Maros Sefcovic’s trip to Switzerland is not the meeting in Bern, but a lecture at the University of Friborg on Wednesday afternoon. The rendez-vous with Ignazio Cassis came later and at the last minute. Livia Leu dampened expectations in Brussels on Tuesday. The meeting in Bern is not about negotiations, but about determining where you stand and an “in-depth exchange of views”.
Ignazio Cassis and Maros Sefcovic at a recent meeting.
Photo: Lukasz Kobus
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