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Sunday’s vote was also closely watched in Brussels. Because a yes to the Limitation Initiative (BGI) would also have meant difficult negotiations on the free movement of people for the EU. With more than 61 percent against, the relationship is considered to have stabilized.
The President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (61), welcomed the outcome of the BGI. “I see it as a positive sign,” von der Leyen wrote in a statement on Sunday. Soon she will be in contact with Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga (60). “I would like to congratulate her on this clear result.”
“More than good partners”
Now they want to consolidate and deepen the relationship. Because the citizens of Switzerland have shown that they value this close relationship. The vote confirms “one of the cornerstones of our relationship: mutual freedom to move, live and work freely in Switzerland and the EU.”
CDU European MP Andreas Schwab, chairman of the European Parliament delegation, also sees the result of the vote as “proof that Swiss citizens want to continue their cooperation with the EU. Switzerland and the EU are more than good partners. ‘
Brussels speeds up
But Schwab immediately started talking about the future, and here the expectations of the EU have not changed. “The framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland is still ahead. It was negotiated for four years and structural commitments were reached ”, said the German. “We want this agreement because it creates legal certainty, for Europeans and Swiss! Strong relations with Switzerland are in the interest of the EU and Switzerland must now take into account the close cooperation it wants with the EU.
Von der Leyen also assumes that the Federal Council will now move forward quickly with the framework agreement. “It is about signing and ratifying the International Framework Agreement that we negotiated in 2018.” She conveyed this position at the Davos GE meeting last January. “It still applies today.”
Resistance grows in Switzerland
In fact, the Federal Council is said to want to put its proposals on the table in October in Brussels. From the Swiss point of view, there is still an urgent need for clarification on four points:
- Salary protection: The EU wants Switzerland to adopt its guidelines on protection against wage dumping. But these do not go as far as the standards currently in force in Switzerland. For example, the registration period for foreign companies would be shortened and there would be fewer controls. For unions, compromising wage protection is out of the question. They want the issue to be completely excluded from the deal.
- Unionsbürgerrichtlinie: In the Union Citizens Directive, the EU defines what rights EU citizens have in other countries. If Switzerland took over, EU citizens could, for example, receive social assistance more quickly and residence permits would be more difficult to withdraw. The EU wanted to indicate in the text of the contract that Switzerland would adopt the directive within a certain period of time. The Federal Council, however, wanted to explicitly exclude them from the agreement. As a compromise, the EU Citizens Directive is simply not mentioned at all now. It is feared that sooner or later this will become a problem for Switzerland.
- State aid: The EU defines state aid as tax exemptions and other advantages that the state grants to certain companies. In principle, they are prohibited in the EU if they distort competition. In Switzerland, on the other hand, they are very widespread; for example, they include contributions to promote tourism, state guarantees for cantonal banks, or subsidies for hydroelectric plants. Switzerland wants to specify the framework agreement in this area so that such subsidies are not prohibited in the future.
- Conflict resolution: What if Switzerland and the EU get into their hair? The answer to this question is fundamental to the framework agreement. A few years ago it was the biggest bone of contention in discussions in this country – the keyword “foreign judges.” The framework agreement establishes that an arbitration court would come into play in the event of a dispute. However, when it comes to EU law, the Court of Justice of the European Communities would have the last word. Meanwhile, the dispute over dispute settlement had somewhat taken a back seat in view of the three above-mentioned problem areas. But now it is completely back.
In Switzerland, resistance to these points is growing, and no solution is in sight capable of obtaining a majority, as BLICK made public before the vote. That means: The tone between the EU and Switzerland will not remain as friendly as it was on Sunday. (sf)
