|
|
|
|
 |
I still know... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jan ,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Swiss set for big day in Brussels
[
May 19, 2004 00:42]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
Switzerland inches closer to EU
[
May 18, 2004 00:32]
| http://www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
The Swiss government has chosen its representatives to finalise a new set of bilateral accords with the European Union in Brussels on Wednesday.
The Swiss president, Joseph Deiss, the foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, and the finance minister, Hans-Rudolf Merz, will attend the meeting. The move comes after EU foreign ministers officially approved the accords at a meeting on Monday.
Three of the nine accords negotiated between Switzerland and the EU deal with closer cooperation on security and asylum, the fight against international smuggling and customs fraud, and taxation of EU residents’ savings income in Swiss banks.
The Swiss government also wants to open up the labour market to the ten new EU member states.
The agreement has followed years of wrangling. But opponents in Switzerland, who have threatened to call a nationwide vote, could still derail the process.
Last minute deal
Negotiations between Switzerland and Brussels have dragged on for almost two years on the issues of taxation and Swiss membership of the Schengen and Dublin accords, which cover customs fraud and closer cooperation on security and asylum.
A final compromise on these issues was only reached last week.
The bilateral treaties will give Bern membership of the Schengen agreement on cross-border crime, but with an opt-out on sharing information about tax evasion, which the Swiss were concerned would threaten banking secrecy.
In return, Switzerland will sign up to the EU’s savings tax directive and levy a withholding tax on EU residents’ savings income in Swiss banks.
Other areas covered by the bilaterals are the environment, education and training, free trade of processed agricultural products, film production and distribution and access to pan-European statistics.
Two other issues – granting access to the Swiss labour market for the ten new EU members and Switzerland’s contribution to a special fund to help the least prosperous EU states – have been added to the package.
Ratification
Even if political agreement is reached on Wednesday, it is by no means the end of the story.
In Switzerland, ratification could still be some way off as the bilateral accords will still have to be approved by parliament.
Meanwhile, the rightwing Swiss People’s Party has already announced it will scrutinise the package, especially the Schengen agreement.
The People’s Party considers the Schengen deal to be a treaty with a foreign state, requiring a nationwide vote.
The centre-right Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats have for their part called for a vote on the complete set of bilateral accords.
Brussels was anxious to conclude negotiations with Switzerland by the end of June so the taxation of savings directive could come into force on January 1, 2005.
swissinfo, Barbara Speziali in Brussels |
|
|
|
Army rifles remain racked at home
[
May 17, 2004 00:32]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
Tourism tries the hard sell
[
April 21, 2004 01:49]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
Swiss names new CEO
[
April 19, 2004 23:00]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
University reaches for the stars
[
April 19, 2004 00:58]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
Blatter defends the “beautiful game”
[
April 16, 2004 02:28]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
Environment agency stretched by budget cuts
[
April 15, 2004 02:28]
| www.swissinfo.org
|
|
|
|
|
