__In 2021 the Swiss government broke off negotiations with the European Union on an institutional framework agreement to govern future relations. Now both sides are looking for a new way forward. Larissa Rhyn from Swiss public television, SRF, explains what’s at stake.__
For around 20 years, Switzerland has managed its ties to the EU through a set of bilateral agreements, an alternative to full EU membership, which it would like to maintain. But since the rules governing EU market access have changed, this bilateral path needs an update, SRF correspondent Rhyn explains. However, when the EU proposed a new, overriding framework agreement, it was rejected by Swiss politicians, who found it too restrictive and unlikely to gain broad acceptance at home.
Exploratory talks since the failure of the framework deal have shown that the EU would now in principle agree to clarify the institutional issues in a series of sectoral deals, or a “packet approach”. This could allow Switzerland to opt out of some of the usual single market rules. Nevertheless, Switzerland is still not ready to enter into real negotiations with the EU – it wants more time to “sound things out”. At the same time, Brussels is also not keen to concede too much.
“If the EU grants Switzerland many exceptions, then other member states will demand the same,” Rhyn says – it’s a question of keeping discipline in the ranks.
The Swiss decision to break off talks towards the framework agreement also notably led to the country’s loss of participation in the Horizon Europe research programme. This was a heavy blow for Swiss universities and gave the EU more leverage in any future discussions.
__What’s next?__
“The EU would like a binding agreement soon,” says Rhyn. After all, the five-year mandate of the current presidency of the EU Commission ends in 2024. If things are not wrapped up by then, personal contacts between negotiating partners might need to be re-established, which would slow down progress or even make an agreement more difficult.
But Switzerland looks more likely to put on the brakes. “Here, one has the feeling that some groups would rather delay the whole thing a little longer because elections are coming up in October 2023, and the topic of Europe is a very sensitive one,” says Rhyn. As usual, relations between Switzerland and the EU are creeping along.
to answer the question from the title: no.
I definitely hope not!
There will always be differences. Between the EU and Switzerland, between EU and the UK, between countries within the EU, etc. International politics not something that’s “done” at some point, where we can sit back and enjoy hot cocoa with marshmellows all day.
But as the article states, the current Swiss government prefers to postpone significant negotiations until after the elections, and that is completely understandable – no politician wants to negotiate important matters during election season.
From their side, the EU has dropped their “single-framework-or-nothing” position and is open to broader sectoral deals, while still simplifying the old bilaterals – but it takes two to tango. Meanwhile the bilateral and temporary deals are indeed expiring one by one, and that’s mainly annoying for Switzerland – but hopefully not for too long.
My personal expectation is that it will get done over the next couple years, gradually sector by sector to prevent too much shock to the Swiss population, and to make it easier to get ratified. The old “how to eat an elephant” approach. But what do I know, I’m just someone on Reddit.
The eu can lick my nutsac.
No. And not just because of Betteridge’s law of headlines. The EU is fundamentally incompatible with our political system.
God, I honestly have to say sometimes these kind of articles and headlines are so annoying and clickbaiting. No, the EU and Switzerland will probably not sort out their differences in 2023. why? Because just one look at what the differences are would make one realize that.
Switzerland wants some major benefits from EU without accept any of the 4 pillars of the EU, or only with massive restrictions. The EU wants that Switzerland just unilaterally has to accept any new laws the EU passes, this is not compatible with the Swiss democratic standard. (Obviously these are some massive generalizations, but you get the picture).
Honestly the talks need to obviously start up again, but from a different standpoint. Probably from a completely fresh starting point. There is an interdependence between the two parties. That is undeniable. But it will probably take a few years until that happens. Anyway, small rant over.
Why should they join a poor man’s club?
I sure hope not and any Swiss citizen wanting to join the EU is an idiot at best, a traitor as worst.
I’d rather have my vote be nullified by weirdos on the other side of the valley than not having voting right and being at the mercy of bureaucrats living on flatlands too far from my shooting range.
Hopefully not
With the shitshow that is the EU, we should keep at least keep our stance and at best distance even more.
As a sovereign country, Switzerland can do whatever they want. But then they need to learn a few things that still seem alien to Swiss mentality…
* Take responsibility for their actions, instead of blaming somebody else (tHe Euuuuu, tHe NaTooooo, tHe AmIssss)
* Accept the consequences of their actions
* Stop cherry picking
For what?
Keep that EU plague out of here
Why should Switzerland do that tho? At the moment is good.
What annoys me about the federal council is that they always drag the negotiation. Just negotiate a fine packet, go back home, let’s vote about it and show the EU that 80% of the Swiss people are against it.
And then call out the EU if they don’t want to respect a democratic decision.
> Exploratory talks since the failure of the framework deal have shown that the EU would now in principle agree to clarify the institutional issues in a series of sectoral deals, or a “packet approach”.
So we replace bilateral treaties with…bilateral packets?
i hope not
I’m just hoping they solve the issue of international collaboration for research and education. We miss so much for not being part of the ERC and the Erasmus+ program
Not in 2023, no. The (founding) Maastricht treaty was just 30 years ago, Switzerland set up bilateral agreements only 20 years ago and the EU just isn’t feeling it any more because it’s too complicated for them. It’s like trying to negotiate with a teenager, the EU is not even a country and just lost a member with other member states being kind of troublesome as well. I’d not sit at a table with them. They’ll flex and say stuff about Indians and Cowboys but in the end reason will be found, it might just take another 5-10 years.
Edit: Btw what’s wrong with just remaining an EFTA member like Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland?
No
No. Even if they did, it takes much longer.
Also, almost nothing would pass a vote at the moment.
This article is really empty. Was it necessary to write it?
Switzerland should not bow to the EU.
We are vastly different from the Union and it’s Member states.
Seeing how the EU uses different scumbaggy tactics to pressure Switzerland into agreeing to various Deals alone is reason to not „solve“ anything“. The EU could try some semi-direct Democracy for the start, clean their own household a bit and fight the corruption, actually punish human rights violators amidst their Union and give their people some actual Voice.
Switzerland has survived political Isolation before and never will all EU countries agree on one course of actions Switzerland.
Considering what the Swiss People resisted before, the pressure from the EU is like eating Cake.
24 comments
__In 2021 the Swiss government broke off negotiations with the European Union on an institutional framework agreement to govern future relations. Now both sides are looking for a new way forward. Larissa Rhyn from Swiss public television, SRF, explains what’s at stake.__
For around 20 years, Switzerland has managed its ties to the EU through a set of bilateral agreements, an alternative to full EU membership, which it would like to maintain. But since the rules governing EU market access have changed, this bilateral path needs an update, SRF correspondent Rhyn explains. However, when the EU proposed a new, overriding framework agreement, it was rejected by Swiss politicians, who found it too restrictive and unlikely to gain broad acceptance at home.
Exploratory talks since the failure of the framework deal have shown that the EU would now in principle agree to clarify the institutional issues in a series of sectoral deals, or a “packet approach”. This could allow Switzerland to opt out of some of the usual single market rules. Nevertheless, Switzerland is still not ready to enter into real negotiations with the EU – it wants more time to “sound things out”. At the same time, Brussels is also not keen to concede too much.
“If the EU grants Switzerland many exceptions, then other member states will demand the same,” Rhyn says – it’s a question of keeping discipline in the ranks.
The Swiss decision to break off talks towards the framework agreement also notably led to the country’s loss of participation in the Horizon Europe research programme. This was a heavy blow for Swiss universities and gave the EU more leverage in any future discussions.
__What’s next?__
“The EU would like a binding agreement soon,” says Rhyn. After all, the five-year mandate of the current presidency of the EU Commission ends in 2024. If things are not wrapped up by then, personal contacts between negotiating partners might need to be re-established, which would slow down progress or even make an agreement more difficult.
But Switzerland looks more likely to put on the brakes. “Here, one has the feeling that some groups would rather delay the whole thing a little longer because elections are coming up in October 2023, and the topic of Europe is a very sensitive one,” says Rhyn. As usual, relations between Switzerland and the EU are creeping along.
to answer the question from the title: no.
I definitely hope not!
There will always be differences. Between the EU and Switzerland, between EU and the UK, between countries within the EU, etc. International politics not something that’s “done” at some point, where we can sit back and enjoy hot cocoa with marshmellows all day.
But as the article states, the current Swiss government prefers to postpone significant negotiations until after the elections, and that is completely understandable – no politician wants to negotiate important matters during election season.
From their side, the EU has dropped their “single-framework-or-nothing” position and is open to broader sectoral deals, while still simplifying the old bilaterals – but it takes two to tango. Meanwhile the bilateral and temporary deals are indeed expiring one by one, and that’s mainly annoying for Switzerland – but hopefully not for too long.
My personal expectation is that it will get done over the next couple years, gradually sector by sector to prevent too much shock to the Swiss population, and to make it easier to get ratified. The old “how to eat an elephant” approach. But what do I know, I’m just someone on Reddit.
The eu can lick my nutsac.
No. And not just because of Betteridge’s law of headlines. The EU is fundamentally incompatible with our political system.
God, I honestly have to say sometimes these kind of articles and headlines are so annoying and clickbaiting. No, the EU and Switzerland will probably not sort out their differences in 2023. why? Because just one look at what the differences are would make one realize that.
Switzerland wants some major benefits from EU without accept any of the 4 pillars of the EU, or only with massive restrictions. The EU wants that Switzerland just unilaterally has to accept any new laws the EU passes, this is not compatible with the Swiss democratic standard. (Obviously these are some massive generalizations, but you get the picture).
Honestly the talks need to obviously start up again, but from a different standpoint. Probably from a completely fresh starting point. There is an interdependence between the two parties. That is undeniable. But it will probably take a few years until that happens. Anyway, small rant over.
Why should they join a poor man’s club?
I sure hope not and any Swiss citizen wanting to join the EU is an idiot at best, a traitor as worst.
I’d rather have my vote be nullified by weirdos on the other side of the valley than not having voting right and being at the mercy of bureaucrats living on flatlands too far from my shooting range.
Hopefully not
With the shitshow that is the EU, we should keep at least keep our stance and at best distance even more.
As a sovereign country, Switzerland can do whatever they want. But then they need to learn a few things that still seem alien to Swiss mentality…
* Take responsibility for their actions, instead of blaming somebody else (tHe Euuuuu, tHe NaTooooo, tHe AmIssss)
* Accept the consequences of their actions
* Stop cherry picking
For what?
Keep that EU plague out of here
Why should Switzerland do that tho? At the moment is good.
What annoys me about the federal council is that they always drag the negotiation. Just negotiate a fine packet, go back home, let’s vote about it and show the EU that 80% of the Swiss people are against it.
And then call out the EU if they don’t want to respect a democratic decision.
> Exploratory talks since the failure of the framework deal have shown that the EU would now in principle agree to clarify the institutional issues in a series of sectoral deals, or a “packet approach”.
So we replace bilateral treaties with…bilateral packets?
i hope not
I’m just hoping they solve the issue of international collaboration for research and education. We miss so much for not being part of the ERC and the Erasmus+ program
Not in 2023, no. The (founding) Maastricht treaty was just 30 years ago, Switzerland set up bilateral agreements only 20 years ago and the EU just isn’t feeling it any more because it’s too complicated for them. It’s like trying to negotiate with a teenager, the EU is not even a country and just lost a member with other member states being kind of troublesome as well. I’d not sit at a table with them. They’ll flex and say stuff about Indians and Cowboys but in the end reason will be found, it might just take another 5-10 years.
Edit: Btw what’s wrong with just remaining an EFTA member like Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland?
No
No. Even if they did, it takes much longer.
Also, almost nothing would pass a vote at the moment.
This article is really empty. Was it necessary to write it?
Switzerland should not bow to the EU.
We are vastly different from the Union and it’s Member states.
Seeing how the EU uses different scumbaggy tactics to pressure Switzerland into agreeing to various Deals alone is reason to not „solve“ anything“. The EU could try some semi-direct Democracy for the start, clean their own household a bit and fight the corruption, actually punish human rights violators amidst their Union and give their people some actual Voice.
Switzerland has survived political Isolation before and never will all EU countries agree on one course of actions Switzerland.
Considering what the Swiss People resisted before, the pressure from the EU is like eating Cake.