09.05.2017

Speaker: Pascale Baeriswyl

Dear ambassadors
Ladies and gentlemen

According to Greek mythology, Zeus, the father of gods and men, turned himself into a snow-white bull, abducted the young Europa and brought her to our continent, which is where Europe got its name. And perhaps this criminal origin – an abduction – is a mythical symbol of the bloody history and world wars that Europe would experience for centuries to come.

It is therefore with all the more respect that today, on Europe Day, we remember the Schuman Declaration, as well as the 25th of March 1957, when the heads of state and the foreign ministers from the six founding nations signed the Treaties of Rome in a formal ceremony at the Capitol 60 years ago. In doing so, they laid the foundations for an integration process which brought a period of peace and security to large parts of our continent for the first time in its history.

But wait! We now know that the state representatives in Rome actually signed a stack of blank sheets of paper. And Switzerland’s part in this wasn’t entirely innocent, either. Let me explain: the draft treaties were sent at the eleventh hour on a freight train from Val-Duchesse near Brussels to Rome. At the Swiss border in Basel, an overzealous Swiss customs officer decided to block the train. The European official who was accompanying the important cargo was instructed – despite protests from Brussels – to continue his journey to Milan on a passenger train where, he was told, he would be able to retrieve the texts. But his luck didn't improve in Milan either, and he spent a long while looking for 'his' carriage before finding it in a siding. And so the texts arrived in Rome with a considerable delay, and further mishaps and misfortunes – a team of cleaners accidentally threw the draft treaties in the bin and the students hired as copyists went on strike calling for higher wages – meant the documents were not printed and ready on the day the treaty was to be signed.

This story teaches us that ever since its inception, the European project has required not just visionary pioneering spirit, but a great deal of improvisation and pragmatism, too. And these attributes are still important today. The anecdote is also a prime example of Switzerland's strong sense of conformity with regulations in the context of Europe, and the fact that we are not easily intimidated by opposition from Brussels...

Ladies and gentlemen

The achievements of the integration process that started on that day cannot, however, be overrated: the notion of bringing together adversaries, who had repeatedly fought each other in wars, in an economic, social, cultural and political union is absolutely unique in history.

And 60 years later, we can conclude that the political experiment worked! We are the first generations ever to experience a Europe in which the continent's great powers have been at peace for over half a century. That is an enduring victory for Europe. Or, in the words of Abraham Lincoln: Do I not destroy my enemies when i make them my friends?

Of course, the EU's achievements are not limited to securing peace. Other successes include:

  • supporting the democratisation of the Eastern bloc states after the end of the Cold War;

  • economic growth, prosperity and internationally unparalleled levels of social protection;

  • the solidarity of the EU, which provides 70% of funds for international development.

In short: the EU is and will continue to be a superpower. And primarily a soft superpower – a global economic power, the largest donor, an active force in international peace and security policy and a global supporter of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We should never forget the historic achievements of the EU and the whole of Europe, particularly now as we see how fragile the consensus among the international community is, how the pressure on international law increases, and how growing number of autocrats have ever more dangerous weapons at their disposal. Europe must stand together.

Ladies and gentlemen

As we all know, debate about the EU in recent years has been strongly marked by criticism and problems – here in Switzerland and in many EU member states, too. Besides the fear of economic crises, waves of refugees, terrorism and conflicts on our periphery, there are also nationalist movements at play. Crisis management seems to be the new normal.

But let me be clear: we – Switzerland – set great store by a strong and effective EU.  This is not only because of our interest in a successful economic partnership, but also because Switzerland is profoundly European: culturally, demographically, socially and in terms of its values. «My home is Switzerland», said Swiss German literary scholar Peter von Matt «but the home of Switzerland is Europe.»

And this bond is also reflected in the fact that we are preoccupied by the same issues and developments. I would even go so far as to say that the problem areas of European integration crop up slightly earlier in Swiss political debate: the feeling of remoteness (of citizens from political institutions), concerns about loss of national control, latent unease about the consequences of free movement of people and finding the right level of subsidiarity. Thus, in European discourse, Switzerland acts as a seismograph that predicts future problems, not least thanks to our system of direct democracy.

It therefore goes without saying that we follow EU debates closely, in particular the discussion about how the Union sees itself now  and its future direction, which is being conducted on the basis of the EU Commission's white paper. Of course, this discussion must primarily take place among the EU27. But allow me to make a comment from the perspective of a third country: the scenarios in the white paper leave a gap in relation to the issue of the EU's relations with its European neighbours.

It seems clear to me that in a region shaped by uncertainties and challenges, the Union's relationship with its traditional European partners is likely to become even more important. This is being further highlighted by Brexit. And in this context, the EU has always had a solid, close and reliable partner in Switzerland; a partner it should be noted, which intends to further improve and deepen cooperation, wherever possible and preferable.

As you know,

  • Switzerland has concluded more agreements with the EU than any other third country.

  • Switzerland is the EU's third largest trading partner (after the US and China), the second-largest partner for trade in services and the second most important investor in the EU.  

  • Conversely, in economic terms, the EU is clearly number one for us, with 55% of our exports going to the European Union. And our trading volume with Baden-Württemberg alone is greater than that with China.

  • In addition, we work together closely in areas such as research, the environment, security, migration, peace policy, development aid, and more.   

It is therefore fair to say that Switzerland and the EU have a “very special relationship”, and one that that is mutually beneficial.

Ladies and gentlemen

«Friendship means knowing all about someone else and still liking them.» This implies that friendships also go through rocky periods. Following the adoption of the mass immigration initiative on 9 February 2014, relations between Switzerland and the EU were significantly put to the test. At times, all discussions were blocked.

On 16 December 2016, our Parliament agreed a way of implementing the initiative that is compatible with free movement of people. I believe this shows Switzerland's clear commitment to its bilateral agreements with the EU. And this was backed up by the fact that the referendum against the implementing legislation never came about.

This has paved the way for a normalisation of our relations, as EU Commission President Juncker and our Federal Councillor Leuthard declared on 6 April in Brussels. All negotiations are now set to be resumed. On the question of whether the test is now over, we will have to wait and see what concrete decisions and deals are made in the months ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to my final point:

«Never let a good crisis go to waste», it is said. The European Union in particular has repeatedly demonstrated how it has turned crises into opportunities. We should therefore harness the problem-solving momentum on both sides in order to improve cooperation even further.

The Swiss bilateral approach has proven effective for both sides. The figures speak for themselves. At the same time, this approach has revealed some teething troubles over the years. The fact is that we haven't concluded any new agreements on market access for some time and that adapting the agreements to constantly evolving EU law in a timely fashion has sometimes proved difficult.  The most recent example is the Mutual Recognition Agreement, which covers at least a quarter of exports to the EU and has been in need of updating for years.

If we don't manage to adapt the agreements regularly, we will face new trade barriers, or even legal loopholes. The royal bilateral road to harmonious neighbourly relations with our EU policy is eroding and is at risk of becoming a bumpy track. Or even a dead-end street.

What can we do? In order to ensure that the bilateral agreements can guarantee long-term legal certainty, fair competition and non-discriminatory market access, they require some institutional improvements. In IT terms this would be called a system update. Without this update the 'operating system' of the bilateral approach will be less effective and useful. This is why the negotiations on the 'institutional agreement' are focusing on the consolidation and development of the bilateral approach, so a sort of Bilateral approach 2.0.

The negotiations on this issue are ongoing, so I don't want to go into the detail of potential solutions. But you are all aware of Switzerland's aversion to 'automatic adoption of legislation'. You can therefore be sure that our constitutional Swiss decision-making process and civic rights will continue to apply in future. Since 2014, Switzerland has been negotiating with the EU on the basis of a mandate that was drawn up in consultation with the cantons and the foreign affairs committees of the parliament. We will continue to adhere to this.

There are still a number of difficult issues to resolve. But I am confident that we are on the right track. We will take the time we need to find good solutions. Together. With our European Union partners, and – as is Swiss tradition – in close cooperation with Parliament and the public. The partnership between Switzerland and the EU is a long-term, solid venture. And haste is never a good thing, even if you're in a hurry. As Churchill said to his chauffeur: «Drive slowly, we are in a hurry.»

Thank you very much!


Last update 29.01.2022

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