Negotiation framework now set, says EU ambassador to Bern
The EU ambassador to Switzerland, Petros Mavromichalis, sees further room for negotiation following the conclusion of exploratory talks between Switzerland and the EU.
The present declaration is not a binding international agreement, he added.
“We have to stay within this framework”, Mavromichalis said of the 12-page document. During future negotiations, it will no longer be possible to re-discuss everything that doesn’t suit either side. “Otherwise, we would have wasted our time,” said the diplomat. “But individual points can always be improved,” he told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
One sticking point between Switzerland and the EU, for example, is measures to protect wages.
The declaration reached after the exploratory talks was a “landing zone” that has been worked out. “We feel bound by it,” said Mavromichalis. But it was a political document, not a legal one. “It can still be changed or improved.”
This joint declaration serves as the basis for future negotiations between Switzerland and the EU on their future relationship and contractual framework. It sets out the results of the exploratory talks. Diplomats from Switzerland and the EU have been holding exploratory talks since April 2022. The last round took place on October 27 this year.
In addition to institutional issues such as dispute settlement and the dynamic adoption of legislation, the talks also included new agreements on electricity, health and food safety. This package of agreements also includes Switzerland’s readmission to the EU research and education programmes Horizon Europe and Erasmus Plus.
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