Everything indicates that the third bilateral negotiations will be concluded before Christmas. The Federal Council has given the green light to a final compromise.
Remo Hess, Brussels and Doris Kleck/ch media
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic will arrive in Bern next Wednesday. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis invited him to dinner.
Maros Sefcovic and Ignazio Cassis at a meeting in January.Image: trapezoid
The last time we had hot pot was last July. The Slovak loved it so much that he still rave about it today. After the success of the fondue, the delicious Swiss raclette was a no-brainer. But neither in Bern nor in Brussels, they wanted to confirm the menu, let alone the conference itself. However, CH Media has learned from reliable sources that this is happening.
Although: if it's raclette, this should actually be reserved for federal president Viola Amherd. She is from the canton of Valais so she can celebrate the end of EU negotiations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over a slice of melted cheese. According to reports, a date for the event has been set for the end of this year.
Negotiators have the right to make concessions
Now is the final sprint to the fight between Bern and the EU to restructure bilateral relations. Two weeks ago, Swiss negotiators received permission from the Federal Council to make final concessions to Brussels. Specifically: exemption from increased tuition fees for EU foreigners if the European Commission provides for immigration protection provisions.
At the same time, it remains a question of regulating Switzerland’s future cohesion contribution. The EU hopes the Federal Council will now explain how much access to the European internal market is worth to it. The landing zone could be worth about 350 million francs per year. Far more than what Switzerland pays today. But it is not yet fully integrated into Norway.
But a bigger challenge than negotiations with Brussels lies within Switzerland. This is about getting unions on board. To ensure concessions on freedom of movement and wage protection, they called for social compensation measures at home. Without unions, a vote on the EU deal is hopeless.
But union president Pierre Yves-Maillard is not so optimistic. Discussions with the employer will not progress. Maillard told SRF radio's “Samstagsrundschau” program that the situation was “definitely not good”. It is “highly likely” that unions will not be able to support the EU deal in this way.
Union boss Pierre Yves-Mailard was not satisfied.Image: trapezoid
Meanwhile, Maillard also expressed what he is asking for approval: an increase in child benefits and stronger dismissal protections for older workers.
Maillard scolds Liberal Democrats
These are exactly the proposals that Justice Minister Beat Jans presented to the Federal Council on Wednesday. It is up to him to propose supporting measures for what the senior vice president calls the “10 million initiative.” The bill goes to the ballot box at almost the same time as the new EU deal. Because it ultimately calls for an end to free movement of people, its content is closely linked to the EU vote.
But as several media outlets reported on Wednesday, Bitter Jans lost its bid for compensation at the Federal Council. There are five other reports on this topic. Two senior federal councilors have no interest in taking effective measures to combat this move. Two Liberal Democratic justices of the peace believe the asylum system should be addressed first.
The Liberal Party's attitude particularly irked union president Mr Maillard. When asked, Maillard said: “In order to retain their second seat in the Federal Council, the FDP is determined at all levels not to lose any more support for the senior vice president.” If the FDP believes that the union will eventually give in in some way , then they are wrong. Maillard: “The era of exploiting European integration for the purpose of liberalization is over. We will not give in.”
But can we, like Maillard, interpret the Liberal Federal Councilor’s rejection of Youngs’ proposal as a rejection of bilateral relations?
On the contrary: it would be quite strange if the Federal Council made concessions to the unions as part of the SVP initiative. Negotiations between the social partners to secure a bilateral package with the EU are also ongoing simultaneously. No social partners will take action as long as negotiations with Brussels are not completed.
Observers believe that if the outcome in Brussels is conclusive, then the social partners must also draw conclusions. By then, the question of what supporting measures the Federal Council wants to take to deal with the “10 Million Initiative” may be resolved. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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