During her visit to Brussels, FDFA State Secretary Livia Leu held talks with the secretary general of the European Commission, Ilze Juhansone; with Juraj Nociar, the chief of staff of Maroš Šefčovič, the vice-president of the European Commission; and with the secretary general of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino. During her meetings, Ms Leu was accompanied by Switzerland's head of mission to the EU, Rita Adam.
The talks focused mainly on Swiss-EU bilateral relations. Along with its decision of 26 May 2021 to end the negotiations on the institutional agreement between Switzerland and the EU, the Federal Council also confirmed its intention to continue the partnership between Switzerland and the EU on the basis of the existing bilateral agreements and the track record of successful cooperation in other areas. On that same day, Switzerland wrote to the president of the European Commission proposing to commence a political dialogue in which a shared agenda for further cooperation could be developed in the interests of both sides.
Ms Leu's meetings provided an opportunity to discuss in person the Federal Council's proposal to establish a high-level political dialogue. With Mr Sannino, she also discussed various current foreign policy issues.
Further information:
FDFA: Switzerland's European policy
Address for enquiries:
FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA
