The Senate has begun a marathon debate on the controversial Swiss-EU package.
Keystone-SDA
Swiss senators have begun discussing the new Switzerland–EU package of agreements, known as “Bilaterals III”. Following six months of parliamentary deliberations and the involvement of almost all relevant committees, the discussion is set to be a long and lively.
Even before the starting gun was fired, it became clear once again on Monday that the new Swiss-EU bilateral agreements package is a powder keg.
The Social Democratic Party parliamentary group held a press briefing on Monday morning and warned of the potential collapse of the Bilaterals III. It was claimed that certain centre-right Radical-Liberals and Centre Party senators were seeking to bring down the package.
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“They are attacking wage protection and want to place an additional burden on families through an immigration levy, as well as blocking Erasmus+, creating new referendum thresholds and provoking new conflicts with the EU through changes to the deposit scheme,” said Social Democratic Party Co-President Cédric Wermuth. He was referring to several committee decisions in the run-up to the debate which do not align with the party’s position.
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The Greens, too, criticised the centre-right parties in a statement. Anyone who continues to go along with “the right-wing Swiss People’s Party’s games of deception” is jeopardising Switzerland’s stability, it said. The Sentate must let reason prevail, both on wage protection and on the issue of a mandatory referendum, it stated.
The People’s Party will not approve the treaty package in any case. Its parliamentary group has called for a protest on Bundesplatz on Monday evening. It aims to warn against the “treaty of submission and its disastrous consequences”.
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The debate in the Senate is now set to begin with an opening debate. A minority within the Council of States’ Foreign Affairs Committee does not wish to discuss the treaty package in detail. Alongside the People’s Party members, Beat Rieder, a senator from the Centre Party, is also part of this minority.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who holds the economics ministry portfolio, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Justice Minister Beat Jans are attending. The first decisions are expected in the evening.
How we produce news in English
Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
