Switzerland's new state secretary Alexandre Fasel has taken stock of the Switzerland-EU dossier together with his European Union counterpart, Jurai Nociar.
The State Secretary traveled to Brussels on Thursday for his first visit since taking up the post on September 1. The primary purpose of his visit was to introduce himself in person, Fasel said after his meeting with representatives of the European Commission. He will be doing a lot with them in the near future, he added.
The work will “intensify considerably,” he further told a group of journalists from Swiss media. The new state secretary is continuing the exploratory talks that began under his predecessor Livia Leu.
Talks on a framework treaty between the two parties broke down in 2021 when Switzerland walked away from the negotiating table. Both parties have held a series of exploratory talks in an attempt to revive official negotiations.
If there is progress with the EU, but also in the discussions in Switzerland, the chances are good that the Federal Council will draw up a negotiating mandate towards the end of the year, added Fasel.