BERN: Switzerland and the European Union, its main trading partner, made headway on Thursday on clinching a new treaty meant to cement ties, and Bern pledged fresh contributions to EU coffers.
The head of the EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Swiss President Doris Leuthard gave an upbeat assessment of ties, which are on the mend after the Swiss parliament last year skirted voters’ calls for curbing immigration from the bloc.
“Things are going in the right direction,” Juncker told a news conference after meetings in the Swiss capital.
Shaky prospects for progress in the talks had prompted last-minute consultations on Monday to check whether the visit would even take place, a diplomat involved said.
But Leuthard said Switzerland was on track to contribute another 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($1.33 billion) in “cohesion payments” to the EU budget over 10 years as a sign of solidarity. Legislation would go to parliament next year.
The two sides did not achieve a breakthrough on a “framework” treaty Brussels wants to replace more than 100 bilateral accords now governing relations. This would ensure Switzerland adopts relevant EU laws in return for enhanced access to the bloc’s single market, crucial for Swiss exports.
Such a pact is anathema to the anti-EU Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the biggest in parliament. Many conservative politicians as well worry that any deal giving EU judges a role in settling disputes plays into the SVP’s hands before 2019 elections.
While Britain seems set to leave the single market and to impose controls on immigration, Switzerland is keen to ensure EU citizens can continue to live and work here -- the price for its enhanced access to the EU market. — Reuters
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