{"id":69548,"date":"2025-05-02T22:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T22:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/69548\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T22:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T22:35:14","slug":"swiss-politicians-bemoan-limited-access-to-eu-treaty-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/69548\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss politicians bemoan limited access to EU treaty details"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <img fetchpriority=\"high\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/flags.jpg\" width=\"1300\" height=\"867\" alt=\"Swiss-EU relations divide opinion in Switzerland\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"auto\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                Swiss-EU relations divide opinion in Switzerland            <\/p>\n<p>            Keystone \/ Anthony Anex        <\/p>\n<p>            Listen to the article        <\/p>\n<p>            Listening the article        <\/p>\n<p>                Toggle language selector            <\/p>\n<ul class=\"read-aloud\/track-selector__options\">\n<li>\n<p>                            English (US)                        <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>                            English (British)                        <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>            Generated with artificial intelligence.        <\/p>\n<p>        Only a few Swiss parliamentarians will be able to read the contents of a new agreement negotiated with the European Union &#8211; a procedure that is causing controversy in Bern.\n<\/p>\n<p>        This content was published on    <\/p>\n<p>        May 2, 2025 &#8211; 16:42\n<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/latest-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Starting next week, a handful of elected officials \u2013 two from each party \u2013 will be allowed to confidentially consult the 1,800 pages of the agreement currently being negotiated between Switzerland and the EU.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/swiss-politics\/the-swiss-eu-bilateral-treaty-updates-explained\/88790104\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">+ Swiss-EU bilateral deal updates explained<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This closed-door reading, organised in a room at the Federal Palace, constitutes a pre-information phase ahead of a public consultation scheduled for the summer.<\/p>\n<p>But this method has drawn criticism, particularly from the Swiss People\u2019s Party. For Thomas Aeschi, leader of the parliamentary group, the process lacks transparency.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/foreign-affairs\/swiss-eu-economic-relations-in-eight-charts\/89060688\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">+ Swiss-EU economic relations in eight charts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the Federal Council has nothing to hide, it can make the documents accessible to everyone at the same time,\u201d he told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.<\/p>\n<p>This position is shared by the Foreign Policy Committee of the House of Representatives, which has officially requested the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) to expand access to all parliamentarians.<\/p>\n<p>Its chair, Laurent Wehrli, welcomes the willingness to inform the parties in advance, but regrets the restriction. \u201cWhat was surprising was the limit of two members per party,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n<p>FDFA spokesperson Nicolas Bideau defended an approach inspired by the usual functioning of parliament, where each party is represented in committees. \u201cThe goal is for the parties to have the necessary information to take a position on these texts, which are essential for Switzerland\u2019s prosperity,\u201d he explained. In the face of criticism, the FDFA has not ruled out extending the right of all parliamentarians to consult the agreements. The government will decide on this point in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\n    More<\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/d848154ac60c37c91b6f33279ea9b6f7317d0c5e-89241058.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Agreements with the EU: the Federal Council in favour of an optional referendum\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss government favours simple majority referendum for EU vote    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        Apr 30, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The proposed Swiss-EU political deal should be decided by a simple majority of voters, without a cantonal majority.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/democracy\/agreements-with-the-eu-the-federal-council-in-favour-of-an-optional-referendum\/89242025\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss government favours simple majority referendum for EU vote<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Adapted from French by DeepL\/mga<\/p>\n<p>How we work<\/p>\n<p>We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.<\/p>\n<p>Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.<\/p>\n<p>        Articles in this story    <\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/243509fd0671fdf4e56c5ce26056349085cc6f4b-89253469.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Three departures from the Ruag MRO Board of Directors following incidents\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Directors leave Swiss military firm after fraud probe    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Three board directors will not stand for re-election following an alleged fraud at the Swiss defence company Ruag MRO.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/swiss-politics\/three-departures-from-the-ruag-mro-board-of-directors-following-incidents\/89254058?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Directors leave Swiss military firm after fraud probe<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/c2da1a5a8d49c7efdee0d0bb41503ca5465f5e74-89252114.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Second pillar, pension or capital? Most think both\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Most Swiss withdraw pensions as lump sum    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                For the first time, most Swiss residents favour withdrawing their pension pot as a lump-sum over regular annuity payments.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/banking-fintech\/second-pillar-pension-or-capital-most-think-both\/89252504?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Most Swiss withdraw pensions as lump sum<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1ded7d4c992dc9aa2e368c44282a6469d3df9c94-89251778.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Buying a house in Switzerland is getting more expensive, +4% in one year\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss house prices rise 4% in a year    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The cost of buying a home in Switzerland rose by 4.1% year-on-year in the last quarter and by 0.7% compared to the previous three months.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/life-aging\/buying-a-house-in-switzerland-is-getting-more-expensive-4-in-one-year\/89252503?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss house prices rise 4% in a year<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dbd6ca8df8929d68823514be75c6b90d6589a976-89249581.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Grisons landslide village of Brienz faces many more evacuations\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Landslide threatened Swiss village of Brienz faces many more evacuations    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The 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Swiss media faces worsening economic pressures    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The media in Switzerland faces significant economic pressure, but retains 9th place in the World Press Freedom Index.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/the-press-threatened-by-economic-pressure-at-its-height\/89250637?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss media faces worsening economic pressures<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/55fd71b17a74d398e31ded385cbbf14d52a54173-89248434.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Swiss suspends flights over Pakistan\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        SWISS suspends flights over Pakistan    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Swiss International Air Lines will avoid Pakistani airspace until further notice due to rising tension between India and Pakistan.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/swiss-suspends-flights-over-pakistan\/89250853?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: SWISS suspends flights over Pakistan<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0b090e761f7882443c96a90810afb9abbf2907eb-89247798.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"First of May: Zurich, thousands at Labour Day parade\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Zurich Labour Day parade attracts 14,000    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 2, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                Some 14,000 demonstrators gathered in Zurich to mark Labour Day on May 1.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/first-of-may-zurich-thousands-at-labour-day-parade\/89250854?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Zurich Labour Day parade attracts 14,000<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/61562595f1aed563cd53ca03ebbef4d67b9368bb-89248203.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Federal Councillor Pfister reaffirms military cooperation with neighbours\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Swiss defence minister  reaffirms military cooperation with neighbours    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 1, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                On his first trip abroad in government, Defence Minister Martin Pfister visited the Swiss troops taking part in a major exercise in Austria.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/foreign-affairs\/federal-councillor-pfister-reaffirms-military-cooperation-with-neighbours\/89248328?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Swiss defence minister  reaffirms military cooperation with neighbours<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/86fdc6a1044c67dd93fb4fafe75943c31fb7da53-89247214.jpg\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" alt=\"Vaud: ten fire engines planned for Ukraine\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        More    <\/p>\n<p>        Ten Swiss firefighting trucks donated to Ukraine    <\/p>\n<p class=\"teaser-wide-card__excerpt\">\n<p>                        This content was published on                    <\/p>\n<p>                        May 1, 2025                    <\/p>\n<p>                The first truck set off symbolically for the war-torn country at the end of April.            <\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"teaser-wide-card__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/various\/vaud-ten-fire-engines-planned-for-ukraine\/89247352?utm_source=multiple&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=news_en&amp;utm_content=o&amp;utm_term=wpblock_news\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>            Read more: Ten Swiss firefighting trucks donated to Ukraine<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Swiss-EU relations divide opinion in Switzerland Keystone \/ Anthony Anex Listen to the article Listening the article 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