The Swiss government wants to draw up a negotiating mandate with the European Union. In its view, the exploratory talks with Brussels have been concluded.
The national government intends to decide whether to accept the mandate before the end of the year, according to a statement on the decision on Wednesday. It has instructed the foreign ministry to prepare concrete negotiations.
According to the government, the results of the exploratory talks with the EU will allow the draft to be finalised. The European Commission was informed of this decision on Wednesday, according to the press release.
Swiss diplomats have been holding preliminary talks in Brussels since April 2022. The aim of the exploratory talks was to assess where Switzerland and the EU could reach an agreement. A negotiating mandate is now required to continue.
The exploratory talks included new agreements on electricity, health and food safety, as well as Switzerland’s readmission to the EU research and education programmes Horizon Europe and Erasmus+.
It also includes so-called institutional issues such as the regulation of dispute resolution and the dynamic adoption of law. The most recent round of exploratory talks with the EU took place on October 27. ...