Switzerland - EU EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic retains the Swiss dossier

Commissioner Maros Sefcovic is to remain responsible for relations with Switzerland on behalf of the European Commission. This was revealed on Tuesday in the mission letter from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Sefcovic is the European Commission's Commissioner-designate for Trade and Economic Development and for Institutional Relations and Transparency from 2024 to 2029, according to the letter. The Slovakian has been responsible for institutional relations since 2019 and has been a member of the European Commission since 2009.

He will be tasked with deepening the EU's partnerships in the world and promoting free and fair trade. In addition to negotiations with Switzerland, he will also be responsible for relations with the UK, the USA and China, among others.

Same point of contact for the Federal Council

Since March, the Swiss Federal Council has been conducting negotiations with the European Commission to regulate future relations between the two partners. The talks include topics such as electricity, EU education and research programs and the regulation of institutional issues.

As part of the talks, Sefcovic was scheduled to visit Bern in June. This has been postponed to an as yet undefined date.

Sefcovic is currently Executive Vice-President of the European Commission. In the new Commission, the 58-year-old will no longer hold the title of Vice-President. The European Parliament will hear the members of the new Commission in the coming weeks. The Parliament will ultimately decide on the new Commission.

SDA