Mario Gattiker has a wide range of experience dealing with the EU
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Mario Gattiker, the retiring head of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), will now take over tasks in Switzerland’s dossier with the European Union. The government has asked him to continue the analysis of differences in regulations between Switzerland and the EU.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
The Federal Chancellery confirmed to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA on Saturday corresponding reports in Tamedia newspapers and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Relations between Switzerland and the EU deteriorated in May when the Swiss government unilaterally walked away from seven years of negotiations over an institutional framework agreement with Brussels.
The government discussed relations between Switzerland and the EU on Friday, which it will continue at a forthcoming meeting, the Federal Chancellery said. The results of the analysis of the differences between Switzerland’s and the EU’s regulations had been submitted to the government.
More
More
EU wants Swiss roadmap in place early next year
This content was published on
The EU says it wants to establish a concrete plan to re-open bilateral talks with Switzerland next year.
These regulations formed one of the bases for the discussion conducted by the government. The results of the analysis will be communicated as soon as the government has concluded its discussion, the Federal Chancellery said.
Gattiker, 65, was appointed director of the Federal Office for Migration in 2012 and since 2015 has been State Secretary of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). He will hand over the reins to his successor, Christine Schraner Burgener, at the end of December. Gattiker has a wide range of experience with the EU: among other things he headed the Swiss delegation to the Swiss-EU Joint Committee on the implementation of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between 2009 and 2016.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
Scientists have shown that bonobos combine their calls into complex sound sequences that resemble combinations of human words.
This content was published on
US parliamentarians have threatened the UN Human Rights Council with sanctions similar to those against the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This content was published on
Thanks to abundant snowfall, lift operators benefited from increased visitor numbers, with the number of guests jumping by 12% year-on-year.
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
Swiss foreign minister pushes back against EU ‘deadline’
This content was published on
Switzerland will not be pressured by the European Union into premature negotiations until a political accord is first found, Ignazio Cassis has said.
Swiss and EU ministers have ‘good and friendly’ chat
This content was published on
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn have met in Brussels for informal exchanges.
Swiss migration chief calls for reform of European asylum policy
This content was published on
State Secretary for Migration Mario Gattiker has criticised the current European asylum policy of redistributing migrants rescued at sea.
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.