Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss business stands to gain from EU enlargement

Simon Featherstone, the British ambassador to Switzerland. britain-in-switzerland.ch

Britain’s new ambassador to Switzerland, Simon Featherstone, says Swiss companies are set to benefit when ten new countries join the European Union on May 1.

But he said enlargement would also underscore the need for Switzerland to conclude a series of outstanding bilateral treaties with the EU.

Featherstone took up the post of ambassador on March 31. It is his first ambassadorial posting.

Having previously headed the EU department of the British foreign office (1998-2003), he led the team overseeing negotiations on EU enlargement and EU-Swiss relations.

swissinfo spoke to Featherstone three weeks into his new job and asked him what he thought the effects of enlargement would be for non-member Switzerland.

swissinfo: Some fear Switzerland will be further isolated in Europe. Do you think this will be the case?

Simon Featherstone: I had the honour of attending a conference in Zurich in January on this subject and I know there is a great deal of interest in Switzerland on the effect of enlargement.

I think it will have a number of effects: firstly, it will create a bigger single market for Swiss companies; it will also mean that the size of the community surrounding Switzerland is that much bigger.

And I think it also probably underlines the importance of concluding the current [round of] bilateral treaties with the EU, at least on those documents where agreement is very close.

swissinfo: Britain is a member of the EU, but sometimes considers itself an island in terms of its political relations with the rest of Europe. Can Britain sympathise with Switzerland’s position?

S.F.: I’d question the assumption about Britain acting like an island. Britain is a full member of the EU.

There are one or two areas, particularly the euro, where we’re remaining outside. But in terms of the vast majority of EU work, Britain is one of the leading players.

As far as Switzerland’s attitudes towards the EU are concerned, I think Britain and Switzerland have a lot in common: we tend to oppose regulation for its own sake, and we want economic growth and a strong financial sector.

swissinfo: The British prime minister, Tony Blair, recently announced that the nation would vote on the new European constitution in a referendum – the first such poll since 1975.

S.F.: They are relatively rare in Britain but this is obviously a significant development that no doubt other countries will be watching with interest.

swissinfo: There have been concerns about recent moves by the EU to pressure the Swiss to conclude a second round of bilateral agreements. During your time working with the EU, did you notice a change in relations between Brussels and Bern?

S.F.: I think it would be wrong for the Swiss to begin to feel that there is any kind of coordinated campaign to make life difficult for them.

There have been one or two unconnected issues where people have been quick to see a common thread. But actually I think the keenness of the EU to see the negotiations come to a head is not connected with those issues.

swissinfo: In general, what are the main points of interest between the two countries?

S.F.: We have a very healthy trade and investment relationship, particularly on the investment side, where we have around 100,000 jobs in Britain dependent on Swiss investment. It is important that this investment relationship goes from strength to strength.

An interesting, important and relatively new area for collaboration is science and technology. The very areas where Britain is keen to move forward in research and development are areas where Switzerland is a world leader, for example nanotechnology and biotechnology.

In terms of political dialogue, I’m hoping we can discuss everything from aid dispersal to issues relating to the Balkans and other areas where Switzerland plays a key role. We’re very conscious of the importance of Switzerland as a place where big meetings take place, for example the recent talks in Bürgenstock over the unification of Cyprus.

swissinfo: How about financial services? In the past there has been talk of rivalry between the financial centres of London and Zurich.

S.F.: This is an issue the Lord Mayor of London was keen to tackle head on during his visit to Zurich this month, because people do sometimes talk about competition and rivalry between the two centres.

But actually the synergies and cooperation between the two are extremely deep. Employees of the big Swiss banks and financial institutions move between the two centres frequently, and the work is very collaborative. So I think it would be better to see London and Zurich as complementary rather than competitive.

swissinfo: On a more personal level, what are your main expectations and goals coming into this post?

S.F.: I’m very keen to promote and develop the good relations between Britain and Switzerland. There is a huge wealth of goodwill between the two countries. For example, opinion polls in Britain always say Switzerland is the country British people most want to join the EU. So I hope to build on this great resource of goodwill.

swissinfo-interview: Joanne Shields

British ambassador Simon Featherstone’s CV:
1998-2003: head of European Union department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
1996-1998: counsellor (political and economic), Beijing.
1994-1996: consul general, Shanghai.
1990-1994: first secretary, environment, Brussels.
1988-1989: on loan to Cabinet Office.
1987-1988: desk officer, Falkland Islands department, FCO.
1984-1986: second secretary, science & technology, Beijing
1981-1983: full-time language training (Mandarin), London and Hong Kong
1980-1981: assistant desk officer, South Asian department, FCO

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR