Livia Leu to step down as top Swiss negotiator with EU

Livia Leu explains her decision to journalists in the parliament building in Bern on Wednesday © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

State Secretary Livia Leu, Switzerland’s top negotiator with the European Union, will become Swiss ambassador to Germany at her own request, the government has announced.

She will serve as state secretary until the end of August. The talks with the EU will not be affected by this change, it said in a statementExternal link on Wednesday. In Berlin she will replace Paul Seger, who is retiring.

Leu, 62, has been in charge of talks with the EU since autumn 2020. Her term of office also saw the breakdown of negotiations on an institutional framework agreement with the EU in 2021, when Switzerland unilaterally walked away from talks.

+ What is the EU framework deal?

Since then, Leu and her team have been conducting exploratory talks with the EU. At the end of March the government announced that the key parameters of a negotiating mandate would be drawn up by the end of June.

The EU Commission said it had taken note of the announcement. Asked by a journalist whether this change might have an unfavourable impact on the ongoing exploratory talks, an EU Commission spokesperson said it was up to the Swiss government to decide who should lead the talks on Switzerland’s behalf.

“However, our goal remains the same,” he said. “The EU wants to end the exploratory talks as soon as possible and start negotiations.” They want to have concluded the talks by the summer of 2024, he said. “We’re doing everything we can to complete the process by then.”

Before taking up her current post, Leu served as ambassador in Tehran and Paris.

“As Switzerland’s ambassador to Germany, she is once again taking on a strategically and diplomatically pivotal task. In Berlin, she will be responsible for maintaining political, economic, cultural and scientific relations with the neighbouring country that is Switzerland’s most important trading partner,” the government said.

The foreign ministry is appointing a selection committee to select her successor.

Other appointments

As part of the usual transfer rotation in the foreign ministry, the government on Wednesday announced several other appointments:

Salman Bal, currently director of the International Geneva Welcome Centre (CAGI) in Geneva, has been appointed ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Tajikistan, based in Astana.

Mirko Manzoni, currently personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Mozambique, has been appointed ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Republic of Botswana, Kingdom of Eswatini, Kingdom of Lesotho and Republic of Mauritius, based in Pretoria.

Danielle Meuwly Monteleone, currently regional head of cooperation in Tbilisi, has been appointed ambassador to Nepal, based in Kathmandu.

Thomas Stähli, currently deputy head of mission in Beijing, has been appointed ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan and to Turkmenistan, based in Baku.

Stefano Vescovi, currently deputy head of mission in Lima, has been appointed ambassador to the Republic of Cuba and to Jamaica, based in Havana.