“The government believes such an approach would be most promising,” a foreign ministry statement said on Wednesday.
No further details were revealed. However, Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann on Monday proposed linking electricity with agriculture and tax issues.
Over the past decade Switzerland and the EU have concluded two packages of bilateral treaties covering 16 different policy areas..
Switzerland is pursuing a “coordinated approach” in further negotiations with Brussels including talks on “institutional issues”, a government spokesman said.
President Micheline Calmy-Rey is due to meet EU leaders for exploratory talks in Brussels on February 8.
The EU says the time for bilateral treaties is over. It wants Switzerland to adopt EU rules automatically and is also promoting the institution of a arbitration court.
The Swiss government has insisted that it wants to continue with bilateral accords and has ruled out the automatic adoption of EU law.
In a first reaction, the New European Movement group welcomed the proposals to break a political deadlock. However, the rightwing Swiss People’s Party has rejected a new packet of accords as unnecessary.
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Swiss minister wants Bilaterals III with EU
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Schneider-Amman, who has been in office for almost three months, was speaking at a news conference in Bern on Monday at which he presented his priorities. Schneider-Ammann said he wanted to intensify discussions with Brussels because the bilateral way of carrying out business with the EU was far from being exhausted, despite voices to the…
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Calmy-Rey, who holds the rotating post of Swiss president and is also foreign minister, told reporters in Geneva that Switzerland had “serious” bilateral fiscal issues with Italy and problems over the EuroAirport in Basel and Zurich airport. She said there was a mutual desire with the EU to deepen relations. “The 120 bilateral accords with…
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Günther Oettinger said Switzerland’s excellent infrastructure and flexible water power capacity could make it one of Europe’s foremost energy reservoirs. Referring indirectly to stalled negotiations – launched in 2007 – between Switzerland and the EU on an energy accord, he said that a full opening up of the Swiss market was crucial. The Swiss electricity…
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In Switzerland, experts are predicting there will be little fallout from the findings of the Council of the EU. The EU is showing signs of frustration with Switzerland and foreign ministers made this clear on Tuesday. “It is not surprising that the EU Council have raised the stakes. Voices have been loud for some time.…
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Switzerland has a turbulent relationship with the European Union. While many Swiss would be happy to join the EU, there are even more who are not interested as nationwide votes have shown in the past. (Keystone)
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