Concerns have been raised by the European Union about possible rupture in relations with Switzerland regarding EU rules governing internal markets.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic has told Der Spiegel that the bloc’s relationship with Switzerland is at risk of becoming “obsolete” if the two sides don’t address their differences over internal market rules.
Interview with German media outlet Sefcovic. He oversees EU-Swiss affairs.
When the Swiss government attempted to open negotiations, negotiation with Switzerland fell apart in May. “a new chapter”With the EU, the EU has reneged on a draft 2018 treaty which had been the topic of ongoing negotiations.
“We urgently need to know from Switzerland whether it seriously wants to negotiate with us,”Sefcovic added “We have to know what we want to talk about when, so that it is clear that the discussion will not last 20 or 30 years.”
Officials from Switzerland claimed previously that the EU and their governments are at odds over free movement rules, EU citizens having access to benefits in Switzerland and state aid. This impeded the signing of the deal Brussels wanted.
Despite these differences, Switzerland has nonetheless expressed its continued interest in remaining linked to the EU, recently asking the country’s parliament to unblock 1.3 billion Swiss francs ($1.05 billion) in “cohesion payments”European Union member countries. In 2019 the payments were temporarily halted due to a dispute over rules governing stock markets.
More than 100 bilateral agreements have held the EU-Switzerland relationship together since 1972. Failure to move forward with negotiations could put Switzerland’s place in the EU common market at risk and impact its ability to secure goods and services from member states.
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