Switzerland at a crossroads

News Mondays - Clément Guntern

For several years now, at Brussels' request, Switzerland and the European Union have been negotiating an institutional agreement to govern all the other agreements between them. An agreement to govern them all, in short. Negotiations are proceeding with great difficulty and secrecy. According to some media reports, the EU has already made several concessions to Switzerland. But Berne is said to be sticking to its red lines, for fear of making a new faux pas and stirring up a new group of opponents to the agreement.

The issue of wage protection has proved to be a highly sensitive one, and has succeeded in uniting a diverse group of opponents, from trade unions to the Liberal-Radical front-runner for the Federal Council, Karin Keller-Sutter. Transferring Swiss wage protection to Brussels was hardly the most skilful manoeuvre on the part of the European Commission; the opposition is far too strong for an agreement to be reached.

A balance of power will be established

However, if it fails to reach a satisfactory agreement, Switzerland will have to enter into a power struggle with the EU. As the Confederation is Switzerland's third-largest economic partner, the EU cannot remain without an agreement. Since Switzerland is a small, isolated country, it can force it to comply with its demands. This method might seem legitimate in Europe, given the irritation caused by Switzerland's diplomatic manoeuvres over the last two decades to avoid confronting the European problem.

Switzerland has a choice to make. The EU does not offer a multitude of alternatives. Gone are the days when Switzerland could choose what interested it from the European menu. The time has come to bring Switzerland back into the fold of the European Economic Area, which Brussels says it should never have refused. The Brexit has clearly shown Europeans the importance of a coherent Europe, with duties and obligations: a common market for more prosperity but rules to follow. If the EU won't let London take economic access and refuse free movement of people, it won't let Berne.

Time to question ourselves

The Swiss Confederation is at a crossroads. It must realize that the bilateral path, which brought many benefits to the country and ensured great prosperity, has come to an end. The question of Switzerland's relationship with the European Union must be discussed in its entirety, without taboos. To this end, the EU has clearly set its limits in the British case. Switzerland must now define its preferences.

• Firstly, the institutional agreement, with the adoption of European law in certain areas and a more institutionalized and therefore stronger link with the EU. But with the disadvantage that, by wishing to retain its independence, it becomes a vassal behind the scenes.
• Then, the solution of breaking off most agreements. This is the path of the hard Brexiters who were planning to forge other economic ties with countries outside Europe. The most conservative right-wingers wouldn't mind. But it's the choice of chaos.
• And finally, EU membership, more or less negotiated, with exceptions for Switzerland. With a good number of disadvantages, but also some strengths, such as participation in decision-making.

But such an unprejudiced discussion seems impossible at the moment. The political interests of all players seem more important than the search for more global solutions in the pragmatic interests of Switzerland. These are troubled times. The captain of the Swiss ship is drunk, and there are tears on all decks over the direction to take. One thing is certain: the European iceberg is not going to deviate much.

Write to the author: clement.guntern@leregardlibre.com