“The single market is a key strength of the EU. We would weaken the internal market if we allowed a friendly [non-member] country like Switzerland exceptions that the EU member states don’t have,” Mavromichalis told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper in an interviewExternal link.
“If we start doing that, other countries will ask for this as well. The internal market would become full of holes,” he said.
In the event of a dispute, the European Court of Justice interprets the rules and decides. This must also apply to Switzerland in areas where it participates in the EU internal market, the ambassador argued. The Swiss government has indicated it is in favour of a scenario in which Switzerland would not be subject to arbitration by the European court.
Ties between Brussels and Bern have been strained since Switzerland abruptly decided in May 2021 to end years of discussions on a framework agreement with the EU bloc.
“We were very disappointed that Switzerland broke off the negotiations after more than ten years,” said Mavromichalis. According to the diplomat, the EU is currently examining Switzerland’s proposal to resolve contentious issues on a sectoral basis in various agreements.
Brussels wants all market access agreements to include a legal mechanism for dispute settlement, said Mavromichalis. Some sectoral agreements could include regulations such as safeguard clauses, but this should be the exception. Institutional rules such as free movement of persons and the European directives shouldn’t be excluded from agreements, said Mavromichalis.
“Switzerland wants new access agreements to the common market. But this will only be possible if the institutional issues are resolved. You can’t build a house if the foundations are unstable.”
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Why is Switzerland not in the European Union?
This content was published on
From money to direct democracy: we look at some of the main reasons behind Switzerland's decision not to join the 27-nation bloc.
This content was published on
The European Union assumed that Switzerland would one day join the club but instead it is moving further and further away. We find out why.
This content was published on
Citing “substantial differences”, the government has decided not to move ahead with a controversial institutional agreement on relations with the EU.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.