Feature photo: EU and Swiss flag | © Shutterstock
The unilateral “end” on the part of Switzerland for the framework agreement with the EU is a blow to the close human and economic relations between the EU and Switzerland. The “end” is a bitter disappointment for hundreds of thousands of EU citizens and companies that are economically very closely connected and intertwined with Switzerland.
The EU wanted this agreement and there were growing voices within the EU that had finally understood that one had to be willing to make more far-reaching compromises with Switzerland as a very special partner. The fact that Switzerland did not want to go to the trouble of continuing to work on these admittedly difficult compromises with the EU is disappointing to Switzerland's many friends in the EU, of which the German FDP expressly counts itself.
One gets the impression that the realities of our intertwined economic and living areas are misjudged in Bern. For both the EU and Switzerland, this is a profoundly short-sighted signal of an inability to produce sensible results, which Europe's rivals in China and Russia will be delighted to hear. Switzerland negligently underestimates the consequences of its decision, because without the planned framework agreement, the existing market access rules of the existing bilateral agreements will gradually expire.
It remains Switzerland's secret as to how it intends to reopen the door that was slammed shut without need. Giving up is not a solution.
With Michael George Link I was able to persuade another Heilbronn city councilor to comment here on my weblog. As an active member of the Bundestag in our constituency and former Minister of State in the Federal Foreign Office and Director of the OSCE/ODIHR in Warsaw, he writes here mainly on European topics. Since I have known Michael since school and working together with the Young Liberals, I am very pleased that he is now also enriching my weblog.
Dear Michael, thank you for your explanation! Unfortunately, this topic is also lost in the ordinary politics of our day.
That's why I was pleased to read a corresponding article by Adolf Muschg in the NZZ: https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/muschg-zum-gescheiterten-rahmenabkommen-mit-europa-tanzen-ld.1628473
I agree with Muschg that the framework agreement would have come about under Jean-Claude Juncker.
Europe did not elect Ursula von der Leyen, but her enthronement heralded its own downfall — perhaps this ultimately deterred Switzerland.