Freshing up Switzerland’s ties with the European Union has moved up on the country’s political to-do list.
(Bloomberg) — Freshing up Switzerland’s ties with the European Union has moved up on the country’s political to-do list.
“Renewing” that relationship was listed second on a list of priorities published in the goverment’s legislative plan for 2023 to 2027 on Wednesday. The document was last updated in 2019, when the country aimed for “orderly relations with the EU” — listed as the 12th item.
Switzerland is the only major central-European nation that isn’t a member of the EU, and ties are currently governed by a multitude of bilateral treaties that leave significant gaps. The country has recently extended talks with the EU about eventually securing a deal to close those shortfalls.
A shake-up in Switzerland’s governing body in December means it’s no longer the same as the one that previously rejected a framework agreement designed to replace the bilateral deals.
Still, closer ties to Brussels are unpopular in Switzerland, with nationalists worried their country will lose its independence and trade unions concerned about a potential influx of foreign workers that erode high local wages.
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