Foreign affairs minister feels ‘strong will’ to reach EU accord soon
It's the first WEF attendance for Cassis, who took up the reins as Foreign Affairs Minister in late October 2017.
Keystone
Swiss foreign affairs minister Ignazio Cassis says he is optimistic regarding the conclusion of Swiss-European Union negotiations on a framework agreement for bilateral relations.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/cl
Português
pt
Ministro do Exterior sente ‘vontade forte’ para um acordo em breve
Cassis, who is participating for the first time in the World Economic Forum this week, said on Wednesday evening that he feels “strong will on both sides to reach an accord”.
“Ideally, it should be possible to conclude [negotiations] before Brexit [in 2019]. But this doesn’t mean that we must accept everything,” Cassis explained during a press conference.
It’s expected that the Federal Council could present on January 31 its official position on the direction to take following the negotiations.
Last weekend, Swiss President Alain Berset also commented on the struggle to finalise negotiations on bilateral Swiss-EU accords, albeit less optimistically in terms of time frame.
Cassis will meet on Thursday with Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, who going forward will be responsible for relations with Switzerland. The foreign affairs minister said he welcomes this first meeting, because until now, Switzerland has had no specific interlocutor in negotiations, which has complicated the process.
“It will be a question of getting to know each other … and we will see what role he wants and can play,” he said.
The foreign affairs minister will also meet on Thursday with the EU Commissioner on Economic and Financial affairs, Pierre Moscovici, as well as Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger.
French president calls for ‘better integration’
Also on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview on the WEF sidelines to Swiss Public Radio RTS, in which he said he hoped to see “greater integration of Switzerland” with the EU. With regard to Swiss access to the European market, Macron said, “there cannot be a system with ‘cherry-picking’”.
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Swiss federal office sees no reason to end deportations of asylum-seekers to Croatia
This content was published on
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) continues to deport asylum-seekers to Croatia. It thus rejects a demand from the Swiss Refugee Council in mid-February, which called for a halt to the returns.
ChatGPT responds to negative emotions and therapy, research shows
This content was published on
Stressful information can also cause anxiety in artificial intelligence (AI). As scientists in Zurich have shown, it's even possible to calm the GPT-4 AI model with mindfulness exercises.
Mortgage benchmark fall paves way for potential rent cuts in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland’s national benchmark for mortgage costs dropped to the level it had before the global inflation surge, paving the way for potential rent reductions.
Switzerland ‘deeply concerned’ by Trump’s death penalty order
This content was published on
Switzerland has told the UN Human Rights Council that it is "deeply concerned" by US President Donald Trump's recent executive order to strengthen capital punishment at federal and state level.
Blatter, Platini return to court for new fraud trial over CHF2 million FIFA payment
This content was published on
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA President Michel Platini appeared in court in Switzerland on Monday accused of fraud - 2.5 years after they were cleared.
Israel criticises Swiss decision to host Middle East conference in Geneva on Friday
This content was published on
Israel has condemned Switzerland for planning to host a meeting on international humanitarian law in the Middle East next Friday in Geneva.
Centre Party’s Franziska Biner elected to Valais government
This content was published on
Voters in canton Valais in southern Switzerland elected Franziska Biner to the cantonal government in the first round of voting, beating off more established politicians.
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 deletes 90% of his tweets
This content was published on
Ignazio Cassis, Switzerland’s newly elected foreign minister, has removed over 90% of his Twitter posts. He’ll polish his Facebook profile next.
Chief Brexit negotiator for the EU seeks Swiss visit
This content was published on
According to a report in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper, Michel Barnier is planning to visit Switzerland in 2018 to discuss with Swiss officials how EU-British market access might work post-Brexit. Swiss Parliamentarian Hans-Peter Portmann shared the news of Barnier’s impending visit with the NZZ am Sonntag after Portmann and Barnier met at a recent…
Swiss foreign minister rejects one-year limit to EU finance market access
This content was published on
Switzerland’s foreign minister insists that a conditional limit should not be placed on the ‘equivalence’ of the Swiss and European stock exchanges.
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.