Meeting in Berne (Diana Wallis MEP)

Diana Wallis MEP <info@dianawallismep.org.uk>

Meeting in Berne

May 11, 2011 9:55 AM

Diana with Professor Thomas Cottier The Executive Council (Regierungsrat) of the Canton of Berne invited Diana to a high-level meeting recently. The meeting, held in the city's Paul-Klee-Zentrum, was organised as part of a process for the Cantonal Government of Berne to gain a greater understanding of how, post Lisbon Treaty, future relations with the EU institutions and the European Parliament (EP) in particular could be best approached.

Diana emphasised the need for greater parliamentary cooperation and the development of a closer relationship with the EP's internal market committee (IMCO). She underlined the role of the EP as a facilitator of understanding and of deeper cooperation but at the same time pointed out that it remains yet to be seen how the EP will use its increased role in the conclusion of possible future EU-Swiss agreements. While Switzerland is of importance for the EU, it is far from clear how MEPs would vote when it comes to granting Switzerland another bilateral exception. The danger that such an agreement could suddenly get linked to another topic in the EP and therefore be rejected, increases. The lack of Swiss participation in the EP results in a parliamentary deficit. Ms Wallis mentioned the planned "Year of the European Citizenship" in 2013 as a moment where the lack of full EU citizen rights for Swiss people might become more obvious and give rise to some frustrations in Switzerland.

In the introductory presentation on EU-Swiss relationship and the role of direct democracy and federalism, ProfessorThomas Cottier, Director of the World Trade Institute, highlighted the Swiss paradox, i.e. being de facto one of the most integrated economies with the EU but with very little progress in terms of institutional integration over the last 50 years. It was a peculiar mix of a third country in the formal sense, with a degree of integration akin to that of EU/EEA countries. Professor Cottier stressed that an eventual EU accession would not put an end to the Swiss model of direct democracy and federalism. By way of example, only a handful of the 164 referenda carried out over the last 20 years would have brought Switzerland into conflict with EU legislation. But Swiss cantons are more and more directly affected by the extension of EU regulations and programmes, mainly in the areas of the free movement of persons, professional qualifications, immigration and educational programmes. In the meantime, the current EU-Swiss situation results in a shift of power away from the cantons towards the Federal Government. The cantons depend on the federal government and do not enjoy direct access to EU mechanisms via, e.g., the Council of Regions and similar institutions. This causes an erosion of cantonal powers. A decisive step towards EU accession would merely add another layer of federalism rather than undermining it - at the same time, it would increase the power of cantons to influence emerging EU acquis in areas of concern to them.