Viola Amherd, Switzerland’s president, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, agreed at the WEF in Davos that they wanted to begin negotiations quickly, reported SRF.
Switzerland’s long running saga of negotiations with the EU cleared a hurdle on 15 December 2023 when the Federal Council approved a draft negotiating mandate with the EU, a precursor to a definitively approved mandate and negotiations.
This week, during a meeting in Davos, Amherd and von der Leyen confirmed a mutual desire to rapidly start negotiations. They expressed a desire to exchange content directly if required in the upcoming negotiations, and to call each other directly if required, said Amherd after 15-minute conversation with the EU Commission President.
In addition, the two leaders assured each other they would aim to quickly negotiate a package of agreements on future relations, although no fixed deadlines were agreed, said Amherd. The period before European elections in June 2024 is the ideal time window for negotiations, she said.
Ursula von der Leyen described the conversation as very good, very friendly, without commenting on the content.
The meeting is seen as a positive signal after months of discussions that were only technical in nature, wrote SRF.
The draft Swiss negotiating mandate passed in December 2023 was followed by one from the EU Commission five days later. The goal on both sides is to reach the beginning of negotiations within two to three months.
Viola Amherd is seen a strong supporter of an agreement with the EU and said that the negotiations are one of her priorities for the presidential year. This is a crucial year, she said. It’s about creating stable conditions.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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