The European Union assumed that Switzerland would one day join the club and allowed it to pursue a bilateral path. But, if anything, the Alpine country in the heart of Europe is moving further and further away. It has no intention of joining.
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I have a wealth of experience as a journalist working in Switzerland and enjoy producing videos, articles and podcasts on a range of subjects, recently focused mainly on politics and the environment.
Born in the UK, I studied law at Nottingham University, then went on to attend the first-ever post-graduate radio journalism college in London. After working as a radio journalist in the UK and then Switzerland from 1984 to 1995, I returned to the UK to complete a post-graduate diploma in film at Bournemouth Film School. I have been working as a video journalist ever since.
The EU considers Switzerland a troublesome country. In 1992 it said no to the European Economic Area. In 2021 it unilaterally broke off negotiations on a framework agreement with the EU. Switzerland always says “Yes, gladly!” to economic cooperation, but “No, thanks!” to more political integration or membership. This has earned it a reputation in Brussels as a cherry-picker.
Some people say Switzerland’s wealth and stability are part of the reason for its reluctance to jump on the EU bandwagon. But that’s not the whole story.
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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.
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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.