The government has given the green light for the renegotiation of Switzerland’s relationship with the EU. Speaking in Bern on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said Switzerland was «ready» to renew the bilateral agreements.
The government is now waiting for the EU to give the go-ahead for renegotiations to start.
The EU is Switzerland’s most important trading partner; 120 bilateral agreements currently exist between the two.
Presenting the decision from parliament, Burkhalter stressed that it is in the interest of Switzerland to renew the institutional deals.
Another key issue from Switzerland’s point of view would be not having to automatically adopt EU laws; the process of making a national decision through public votes will remain.
In recent months, the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEC) has been under discussion.
Burkhalter said that questions on the interpretation of EU laws would go to the CJEC. If a binding decision could not be made, the bilateral accord could be suspended.