Minister says state-guaranteed cantonal banks complicate EU talks
The cantonal banks are 24 Swiss government-owned commercial banks.
Keystone
Swiss finance minister Ueli Maurer says state-guaranteed cantonal banks are an obstacle in ongoing negotiations with the European Union.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-ATS/ds
“This point still needs to be clarified before a framework agreement can be accepted,” the minister is quoted as saying in an interview published on Saturday.
The European Union does not permit the kind of unrestricted state guarantee from which Swiss cantonal banks benefit. According to Maueur, special authorisation would have to be applied for in each individual case.
EU member states must, in principle, notify the European Commission of any state subsidies so that it can determine their eligibility.
Despite this, Maurer said he was optimistic about the negotiations and reiterated there was no hurry to reach an agreement.
“I am convinced of this: at some point we will find a common solution,” he told the Schweiz am Wochenende newspaper.
Swiss-EU relations are currently governed by 100 separate accords. Talks have been underway to formalise relations between the two since 2014 and hit an impasse this summer.
The framework agreement under discussion covers five of the larger bilateral deal: free movement of persons, mutual recognition on conformity assessment, agricultural products, air transport and land transport.
Measures related to the free movement of persons have been a major sticking point.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
‘50-50 chance’ of Swiss-EU framework deal before end of year
This content was published on
Swiss lawyer Jean Russotto sees a “50-50 chance” for Switzerland and the EU to reach a deal in the coming months to formalise ties.
Brussels’ man in Bern hints at Swiss protectionism
This content was published on
The EU ambassador to Switzerland highlights the benefits for Switzerland of close relations with the EU but warns against anti-EU discrimination.
This content was published on
This year's Congress of the Swiss Abroad gets an update on the importance of Swiss-EU relations and the difficulties of finding common ground.
This content was published on
Switzerland has the highest wages in Europe and trade unions want to ensure this remains the case - even if it means clashing with the EU.
Minister says EU-Swiss quagmire means higher energy costs
This content was published on
“If we could participate on an equal footing in the European Union market, the electricity bill of Swiss consumers would be around CHF120 million ($121 million) lower,” said Doris Leuthard, who holds the environment, transport, energy, and communications dossier. She said the deadlock in negotiations with the EU is already costing Switzerland significant money and…
This content was published on
Talks on a framework agreement between Switzerland and the European Union are difficult, with disagreement on issues like worker protection.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.