Top Swiss negotiator laments EU ‘pressure politics’

Switzerland and the EU have been trying to work out a way forward on bilateral relations after the Swiss rejected an overarching framework agreement to govern long-term ties more than a year ago. Keystone / Anthony Anex

After another round of talks last week, Switzerland’s top negotiator with the EU, Livia Leu, said that Switzerland wants to move forward with negotiations but complained that the EU continues to push back the timetable.

In an interviewExternal link in the German-language newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Tuesday, Leu rejected criticism from the EU that Switzerland has been buying time and not coming up with clear proposals.  In February, Switzerland proposed a package for new talks with the EU and stepped up exploratory discussions in June.

“Switzerland wants to move forward. Unfortunately, the EU is not in a hurry and has delayed the deadline several times. That is probably part of the strategy. The EU is trying to apply pressure,” Leu told the newspaper.

Switzerland and the EU have been trying to work out a way forward on bilateral relations after the Swiss rejected an overarching framework agreement to govern long-term ties a year ago.

“I thought if the exploratory phase goes well we could start negotiations in the autumn. Unfortunately, it ran slower than expected – and not because of us,” said Leu.

One area that has been held up by the impasse is research collaborations, including the Horizon Europe programme. Leu said the EU continues to block discussions on this, which she called “pressure politics” from the EU that hurts research in Switzerland and the EU.

The chief negotiator said that Switzerland has sent many “positive signals” and “clear proposals,” including plans for a dispute settlement and stepping up the Swiss financial contributions. Leu said, now it is time for the “EU to also move”.

Sticking point

A key sticking point in the discussions has been the free movement of people. Leu argued that Switzerland is already a popular destination for EU workers and that it needs some exceptions in “sensitive areas, such as wage protection”.  

On Wednesday, Leu is set to meet with her EU counterpart, Stefano Sannino, who heads foreign relations. The two are expected to discuss foreign policy issues, where Leu said there is a lot of agreement between the two parties.

“We hope that the good cooperation on foreign policy will help to improve bilateral relations,” she said. “It clearly shows that we have the same interests and values.” She pointed to Swiss adoption of EU sanctions against Russia.