“Yes, the Federal Council and its negotiators negotiated perfectly,” continues Schweiz am Wochenende. She notes that since Russian aggression in Ukraine, Switzerland has chosen its side, that of the EU and that “we are not an island of the blessed, but in the heart of Europe – highly interconnected”. The German-speaking media judge that “on essential points, the new agreements are better than the framework agreement which failed”.
“Europhile flame out of breath”
On the side of the Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures, euphoria gives way to skepticism. “Obviously, perpetuating and stabilizing our relations with Brussels is essential (…). But the argument has been rehashed for so long that it is losing its weight,” write the two Lake Geneva titles.
People “who are committed and assertive” will be necessary to convince the Swiss, but they “are conspicuous by their absence and their silence”. “We are therefore looking for the spark capable of rekindling the Europhile flame to save this package,” we read. Those who want to blow it up have been campaigning for years.”
Blackcurrant pointed out
Besides Sarine, there are doubts about the concrete continuation of the process. “The Federal Council has not yet presented solutions for the really hot topics,” writes the Tages-Anzeiger.
Mystery hovers over when and how the escape clause on immigration will be integrated and over the type of majority that will be required for the four voting objects. The newspaper believes that opponents dominate the public debate, facing a government and supporters “on the defensive”.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is singled out. The Ticino man, despite being in charge of the file, “disappeared during the negotiations”, writes the Tages-Anzeiger. He has reappeared, observes the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in its headline, emphasizing that “Cassis speaks again but still says nothing.”
This silence is partly explained by the fact that the liberal-radical is “offended” by the media treatment of his first year in office but not only that, notes the author of the article: “So as not to send bad signals in Brussels and to take into account the skepticism of domestic politics, Cassis did like René in the legendary children's show “Spielhaus”: he said from time to time “Ich säge nüt” (“I say nothing”, editor's note) and kept silent the rest of the time. His lack of enthusiasm on Friday “was so striking”, concludes the Zurich media, that he had to explain it to journalists.
A Röstigraben in the Blick
In its German-speaking edition, Blick even wonders if the majority of the government is not already convinced of the failure of a future agreement. “In this case, honesty would be essential. Otherwise, endless consultations after endless negotiations will become an alibi exercise,” writes the media.
Quite a different tone in the French-speaking version of the title: “the package of bilateral agreements with the European Union approved on Friday by the Federal Council contains several exemptions”, estimates its journalist Richard Werly in a commentary. “Rather than refusing this access to the European market, Switzerland must make the best use of it,” he recommends.
Because it is now “that the great battle begins”, recalls the Tages-Anzeiger, an allusion to the “decisive debate inside the country” which is only just beginning and which promises to be intense and merciless. The Federal Council has “ammunition” because the agreement presented on Friday presents improvements compared to the one that was aborted in 2021. Except that the executive has not yet presented solutions for the “really hot topics”, he said. worries the daily, evoking in particular a safeguard clause that is still too vague, as does the question of expense reports for posted workers.
In any case, Schweiz am Wochenende concludes, the new agreement deserves more than slogans. A “real discussion” must now be had.
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