Swiss president and EU Commission head meet in Davos

Viola Amherd and Ursula von der Leyen met briefly in Davos on Monday, where they reiterated a desire to move ahead quickly on regulating Swiss-EU ties. According to Amherd, the two politicians confirmed their intention to rapidly re-start negotiations on a package of agreements to regulate relations. However, they did not commit to a fixed timetable, the Swiss president told media after the 15-minute meeting. Amherd said she wanted to make use of the “ideal time window” in 2024 – before the European elections and before a reshuffled European Commission takes office in the summer. She also reminded Von der Leyen that consultations on the Swiss government’s negotiating mandate are ongoing until mid-February and that domestic policy issues needed to be resolved before a firm mandate could be finalised. She hinted that the issue of trade unions, who have publicly expressed concerns, had been briefly addressed. + Swiss set out priorities for fresh EU negotiations Amherd and von der...