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The EU wants more clarity about Switzerland’s position. She asks ten questions in a letter that is available to SRF. That is not unusual in this phase, says the State Secretary.
First of all: the letter from the EU Commission to State Secretary Livia Leu comes as no surprise to her. The EU Commission announced such a letter at the last meeting.
Now he has arrived at the Secretary of State. She says: “This is part of the exploratory process. It’s not unusual to send something in writing as well, and it’s addressed to me. That means it is clearly part of the exchange that I am having with the head of the cabinet of Vice President Maros Sefcovic.”
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Livia Leu – the questionnaire is addressed to her – says that such a letter is normal in this phase of the relationship. However, she questions its disclosure to the media.
key stone
Leu is deliberately relaxed, although the content of the letter is clear and precise. The EU Commission is sticking to the known points.
With the so-called internal market agreements – which include the free movement of people or land transport – she demands that Switzerland EU law automatically takes over. And she demands one, too Dispute Resolution Mechanism with a prominent role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). “The Federal Council also made it clear to the EU when it made its new proposals – nota bene on explicit expectation: There will be no Insta 2.0,” says Leu.
No second framework agreement
There will be no second framework agreement. Nevertheless, one has to realize that the positions are far apart. “I don’t find it at all surprising that this is still the case at this point in time,” said the State Secretary. It simply shows: “There is definitely still a need for discussion, and the explorations must continue.”
And to this end, the EU Commission has now asked the Bundesrat ten specific questions. For example:
- Does the Federal Council agree that the institutional rules must be identical in all agreements?
- Does the Bundesrat assess the role of the European Court of Justice in the same way as the EU Commission?
- If not, what role does the Federal Council see for the ECJ?
- Does the Bundesrat agree that all market access agreements are linked? What specific exceptions will the Federal Council choose?
The EU Commission expects written answers to their questions. Based on this, she would then decide whether it was worth starting negotiations with Switzerland again on institutional issues and further agreements. Leu must provide these answers.
Here, too, she is relaxed: “I have an order from the Federal Council and will continue to carry it out. Be it oral, be it in writing. That’s actually secondary. It is important that the dialogue continues.” In the letter, the EU Commission addresses numerous political issues and wants to ensure that Bern is willing to make concessions before the actual negotiations begin.
It is normal for documents to be exchanged in such a process. Passing it on to the press is perhaps somewhat disappointing, and one wonders: what is the point of such an exercise?
It is still too early for State Secretary Livia Leu. She argues that one is still in the exploratory phase, even if the questions from the EU Commission would certainly bring some clarification.
At the end of the interview, she says: “It is normal for documents to be exchanged in such a process. Passing it on to the press is perhaps a little disappointing, and one wonders: What is the purpose of such an exercise?
That should certainly put some pressure on Switzerland to position itself. The benefit for the public is that they now know where the talks are.