Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President of the European Commission, told Der Spiegel that if negotiations on Switzerland’s position in the EU’s internal market fail, the relationship between the EU and Switzerland may break.
Brussels has been pushing for a treaty for many years to limit a series of bilateral agreements and requiring Switzerland to routinely change the rules of the single market.
Negotiations between Berne and its largest trading partner were suspended in May due to concerns about surrendering too much sovereignty to the European Union.
In an interview published on Tuesday (December 28), Shevcovic, who is in charge of EU-Swiss affairs, said: “If the new negotiations fail to succeed, then the bilateral agreements that are still in force will gradually lapse and cause our relationship to become ineffective. Time is outdated.”.
Shevcovic said that if Bern is committed to new negotiations, Switzerland will have to guarantee that it will comply with EU internal market rules.
The EU hopes that Switzerland agrees to the dynamic coordination of its laws and EU laws, a level playing field, a mechanism for resolving disputes, and regular contributions to the EU fund for poorer EU member states.
In an interview with Der Spiegel, Shevcovic reiterated the EU’s requirements.
“We urgently need to understand whether Switzerland really wants to negotiate with us,” said Shevcovic.
In November, the EU urged Switzerland to set a clear timetable to resolve the EU’s internal market issues by January.
“We have to know when we want to talk about what-so it is obvious that the discussion will not last for 20 or 30 years,” Shevcovic told Spiegel.
The economic relationship between the EU and Switzerland is governed by more than 100 bilateral agreements, which date back to 1972.
Over time, the collapse of relations may jeopardize Switzerland’s de facto membership in the EU Common Market that Berne aspires to maintain.
Šefčovič cited the example of a medical device, which can only be sold in the EU with the correct certification, which is impossible without a proper contract.
