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After Switzerland has finally taken its position and is ready to renegotiate the institutional framework agreement, there is a risk of delay by the EU: Stefano Sannino, the EU counterpart of Swiss Secretary of State Livia Leu, is on the verge of being promoted. The Italian will soon be appointed top official of the EU External Action Service (EEAS), as confirmed by several sources to “CH Media”. It is not yet clear who will be his successor.
Saninno becomes Secretary General of the SEAE and, therefore, Deputy of the Foreign Representative Josep Borrell. She replaces Germany’s Helga Schmid, who will become the director of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) and will inherit Thomas Greminger of Switzerland, who was not re-elected in July after political disputes.
It is not clear how the personnel change will affect the timetable for negotiations with Switzerland. Sannino and his team are formally responsible for the technical level, while political matters are dealt with in the cabinet of the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The deciding factor will be whether the EU Commission engages in substantial negotiations with Switzerland. Until now, the position in Brussels has been that there is nothing more to negotiate with the draft treaty that has been in force since the end of 2018. However, clarifications and specifications can be made in a very short time. Nevertheless, observers on both sides assume that several rounds of talks will be necessary.
Secretary of State Leu reportedly wants to speak to Brussels for the first time next week. It is about explaining what Switzerland wants to achieve in the three open points of state aid, wage protection and the Union Citizens Directive.
