Published on November 27, 2024 at 8:33 p.m. / Modified on November 27, 2024 at 8:36 p.m.
3 mins. reading
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Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis meets the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic
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Three files remain unresolved: the free movement of people, the electricity market and the contribution to the European cohesion fund
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Both partners hope, as planned, to complete negotiations before the end of the year
Last June, Maros Sefcovic, the vice-president of the European Commission, canceled a visit to Bern at the last minute, a tangible sign that the bilateral negotiations file was not mature enough to take it to the political level. This Wednesday, he did not give up on Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis, flanked by three secretaries of state for a working meeting followed by a dinner. With the objective of reaching, “if possible again this year”, a conclusion of the negotiations. “But the quality of the outcome of the negotiations must be there,” explains Nicolas Bideau, head of communications for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). We prioritize quality over speed.” For his part, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Balazs Ujvari, specifies that “the time has come to take political stock of our ongoing negotiations as we continue to share the objective of concluding by the end of the year”.
“Of the 14 avenues currently negotiated, we find ourselves in many areas in compliance with the negotiating mandate of the Federal Council,” adds Nicolas Bideau. However, there are still unanswered questions. It was to take stock of these issues that Ignazio Cassis and Maros Sefcovic met. There are three of them: the free movement of people and the question of a safeguard clause, the opening of the electricity market and the Swiss contribution to the European cohesion fund.
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