European Movement Switzerland’s president becomes highest-ranking politician

Making progress in Switzerland's rapprochement with the EU and in renewable energies - these two topics are always high on Nussbaumer's agenda. © Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

Basel Social Democrat Eric Nussbaumer is expected to be elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Monday. As President of the European Movement Switzerland, the rapprochement with the European Union (EU) is at the top of his agenda.

The 63-year-old electrical engineer has been a politician in the House of Representatives for 16 years. He has made a name for himself in parliament, particularly in the areas of energy and European policy.

In the federal elections in October, Nussbaumer was easily re-elected and achieved the best result in the canton of Basel Country with almost 34,000 votes. This paved the way for him to become the “highest Swiss citizen”.

“The nice thing about this is that you get to cultivate many external contacts and the dialogue with other parliaments and governments – an experience that you don’t have in normal political life,” Nussbaumer told the Keystone-SDA news agency.

He already knows how to chair a session. The year before his election to the Federal Assembly, he served as president of the Basel District Council. “It’s important to appreciate parliament in all its aspects,” said Nussbaumer. “Don’t think of yourself as a rebuker – that doesn’t go down well. Rather, it’s the role of a moderator.”

This will be Nussbaumer’s last term in office. He does not yet know whether his term as speaker of the House of Representatives will also be his last. But it is certainly a very important point in his political career.

Core issues of renewable energies and the EU

Making progress in Switzerland’s rapprochement with the EU and in renewable energies – these two topics are always high on Nussbaumer’s agenda. The latter has also characterised his professional career. He has worked as a managing director and consultant for several companies in the energy sector. This year, he gave up his positions as chairman of the Board of Directors of an energy co-operative and an electronics company in order to devote himself fully to his new role.

An important milestone for Nussbaumer in recent years was winning the referendum on the Energy Act in 2017, which enshrined the promotion of renewable energies and the nuclear phase-out.

Following the failed framework agreement with the EU, it is particularly important to the member of the Foreign Affairs Committee that Switzerland is not left behind. This year, for example, Nussbaumer succeeded in getting the government to provide information on the opportunities for participation in EU cooperation programmes such as Horizon Europe. As President of the European Movement Switzerland, he argued this year that Switzerland should conclude an agreement with the EU by summer 2024 at the latest.

Sports enthusiast and bridge builder

Nussbaumer began his political career in 1992 on the municipal committee of his then hometown of Frenkendorf. He was a member of the Basel cantonal parliament from 1998 and was elected to the National Council in 2007. In 2013, he wanted to join the government of the canton of Basel but was defeated by the Swiss People’s Party.

“He’s a political fox – he knows politics,” says fellow Basel councillor Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter. “He is a Social Democrat politician who builds bridges and is therefore appreciated by the centre right.”

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