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Then the Federal Council takes over. State government representatives should soon negotiate the framework agreement directly with the European Union. If there is a meeting at the highest level with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Federal President Guy Parmelin (61, SVP) and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (59), they should hold talks together, according to Bern .
But that also means: The breakthrough in talks between Secretary of State Livia Leu Agosti and von der Leyen’s deputy chief of staff, Stéphanie Riso, did not materialize.
As informed sources report, there was no substantial movement between them on any of the three points in dispute: neither with the Union Citizens Directive (UBRL) nor with wage protection, nor with state aid.
Leu fell on deaf ears
Leu tried to get it explicitly stated that Switzerland would not have to adopt UBRL provisions in the future. This is for fear that EU citizens will be entitled to social assistance benefits too quickly in this country. The EU does not appear to have paid attention to this, say people familiar with the dossier.
In this case, however, the question arises as to what exactly members of the state government in Brussels hope to achieve: that political talks suddenly bypass what tough negotiations failed to resolve seems implausible. Especially since the Federal Council let the EU know in the summer of 2019 that it “considers to a large extent that the outcome of the negotiations on the institutional agreement is of interest to Switzerland.” Even two, three, or five Federal Councilors cannot disagree with this letter.
A plan B is required if the framework agreement can no longer be saved. The foreign department knows this very well. Sources close to the Federal Council report that Ignazio Cassis presented a possible alternative for the first time on Wednesday: updating the existing 1972 free trade agreement. According to reports, the proposal found no support in the state government.
No accommodation
Foreign SP politician Eric Nussbaumer (60, BL) is one of the dedicated advocates of the framework agreement in Bern. As chairman of the EU Parliamentary Delegation and the Swiss New European Movement (Nebs), you can practically assess what is happening on both sides of the negotiating table. “It can be assumed that both sides have more or less insisted on their positions,” summarizes Nussbaumer the most recent discussions.
The EU can hardly be blamed for this, he says. “Until now, the Federal Council has not even had the courage to speak openly about the negotiations. Instead, he always spoke of clarifications. “
Unlike the many skeptics in parliament, Nussbaumer sees opportunities in a conversation between von der Leyen and representatives of the state government: “At this level, I think a solution is still possible.” Otherwise, the Federal Council would have to present a plan B immediately.
But it also applies to this that it postpones open institutional issues for a maximum of a few years. “So,” says Nussbaumer, “the game begins again.”
Published: 04/04/2021, 12:31 am
Last updated: 04.04.2021, 23 minutes ago
