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Switzerland was set to announce Friday (20 December) it has concluded a new set of agreements with the European Union which would finally reset and stabilise ties with the surrounding bloc.
However, the government’s green light, after years of sometimes hostile negotiations, is just the first step on the road to recalibrating relations between the wealthy Alpine nation and its biggest trading partner.
The Swiss parliament will also have its say — with the country’s biggest party fiercely opposed to any rapprochement with the EU — and the public will likely have the final word in a referendum.
Bern and Brussels are seeking to simplify and harmonise their ties, which are currently governed by a tangle of more than 120 separate agreements.
Relations plunged when Switzerland, suddenly and without warning, slammed the door on the negotiations in 2021.
The talks tentatively resumed in March, with the goal of concluding a deal by the end of the year.
Unlike previous attempts to seal an overarching framework agreement, the current negotiations have sought to update the existing agreements and conclude new ones on issues like electricity, health and food safety.
‘Delicate balance’
In recent days, Swiss media cited diplomatic sources saying that all the issues had been agreed, with the exception of how much Switzerland should pay into the EU’s Cohesion Fund, which is aimed at reducing economic and social disparities in the bloc.
A fresh round of discussions on Tuesday “took place in a very positive atmosphere”, a European diplomatic source said.
“Now that an agreement is in sight, we hope that Switzerland will be ready to go ahead. We believe we have reached what is a very delicate balance, and should be appreciated as such by all parties.”
Media reports suggest that European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen will visit Bern before Christmas.
The road to this point has already been long: around 200 negotiation meetings have taken place.
European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič said Tuesday on X that “only a few issues remain open. Our goal is to bring the talks across the finish line”.
A longtime sticking point in the talks — which has now reportedly been resolved — has been Switzerland’s stubborn efforts to secure an exemption to the EU’s cherished free movement of people between countries.
‘Total submission’
Fearing it could be tough to win voters round, Bern last week reportedly changed its strategy, and cut the package of agreements into four separate “slices”, according to Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Each slice could then be put to a referendum separately, reportedly in the hope that it would be easier to win support on each narrow set of issues than on a broad package.
The hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Switzerland’s largest party, is staunchly opposed to closer ties with the EU and is ramping up its opposition.
The party has warned that the “subordination treaty” under discussion would “signify the total submission of Switzerland to the EU”, charging that it would require Bern to adopt European law, and denouncing the planned creation of an “arbitration court” to settle any differences.
The Swiss Trade Union Federation (USS), the country’s largest union umbrella organisation, has already called for further negotiations, warning that the agreement as it currently stands risks hitting Swiss wages.
Unions have also voiced concern at the potential impacts on Switzerland’s rail and electricity sectors.
The Swiss business federation Economiesuisse meanwhile supports an agreement.
It said a deal would “enable Switzerland to maintain the current conditions, allowing its economy to access the European market, and to develop them in important areas”.
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