EU negotiations: time to try again

New state secretary on the ball

The metaphorical ball has now been passed to Leu’s successor Alexandre Fasel. The new state secretary at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is the sixth Swiss top diplomat to take on the intricate EU dossier. The 62-year-old Fribourg native has spent almost his whole career in the diplomatic service, including spells as ambassador in London and most recently as special representative for science diplomacy in Geneva. However, he also worked at Credit Suisse at the start of the noughties, where he spent three years in charge of Formula 1 sponsoring. When asked by a journalist whether his passion for speed would find an outlet in the EU negotiations, Fasel answered diplomatically: “I am also enough of a mountain man to realise that steady progress is what takes you furthest.”

The red lines

The Federal Council has set out its red lines for new negotiations with the parameters issued before the summer break. The small print is understandably not in the public domain. Nonetheless, the government has clearly confirmed its goal: “To stabilise the current bilateral path and develop it in a customised way.” That means the Federal Council does not just want to renew the previous agreements – including free movement of persons – but also to conclude new treaties, on the supply of electricity for example. The government also wants Switzerland to rejoin the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, as the country’s scientific and research community has felt the impact of having been downgraded to “non-associated third country” status (see 5/22 October edition of Swiss Review).

By the end of the year, the exploratory talks should be at a stage where the Federal Council can decide whether it wants to resume formal negotiations with the EU from 2024. However, it may well take longer than that to resolve the current bilateral crisis.

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