Rome Italy wants to help Switzerland reach a quick agreement with the EU

Italy wants to help Switzerland reach a swift agreement with the EU. This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani at the dialog forum between the two countries in Rome. In the best case scenario, the new year would be celebrated with a signed agreement.

"Italy will do everything in its power to support the EU and Switzerland in finding an agreement as quickly as possible," Tajani assured at a media conference on the sidelines of the Dialogue Forum in Rome.

The Italian Foreign Minister described relations between Italy and Switzerland as "excellent" and emphasized the "personal connection" with his counterpart from Bern, Federal Councillor Cassis.

In bilateral relations, there was "a positive dialog on the issue of cross-border commuters" and the two countries wanted to expand their cooperation in the future in order to strengthen ties in many sectors - biotechnology, innovation and energy.

"Marshall Plan" for Ukraine

With the Day of Italophonie, Italy wanted to build a bridge of peace and dialog, Tajani continued. In this context, Cassis emphasized the importance of a second Ukraine peace conference involving Russia, which he considers indispensable for a lasting agreement. Rome will host another peace conference in July next year.

The Italian Foreign Minister also expressed the hope that a ceasefire could be reached by then. Cassis compared the planned reconstruction efforts to a possible new "Marshall Plan" and expressed optimism that this would enable a significant recovery for the war-torn country.

SDA