On the fringes of the special session of Parliament, the President of the National Council, Andreas Aebi (SVP/BE), received the President of the National Council of the Republic of Austria, Wolfgang Sobotka, in Bern on 5 May 2021. The visit focused on the two countries’ experiences with their measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategic partnership between Austria and Switzerland, and the institutional framework agreement.

Mr Sobotka was accompanied by Norbert Sieber, National Council member and chair of the Austrian-Swiss Parliamentary Group. The visit included a working dinner at the invitation of National Council president Andreas Aebi (SVP/BE) and a meeting with Council of States president Alex Kuprecht (SVP/SZ), who chairs the Delegation for Relations with the Austrian Parliament (Del-A). National Council member and Vice-President of Del-A Nicolo Paganini (The Centre/SG) also met with the Austrian representatives.

The visit focused on the two countries’ experiences with coronavirus measures. Both sides underlined the importance of coordination both at European level and directly between neighbouring countries, and praised how successful cooperation has been in the border regions. The creation of a vaccination passport that is valid throughout Europe and the possibility of producing drugs and vaccines jointly in Europe were also among the topics discussed.

A further topic of discussion was the conclusion of a strategic partnership between Austria and Switzerland. Council of States president Kuprecht welcomed the two countries’ plans to work more closely together in various areas. He held out the prospect of closer and more in-depth cooperation between the two delegations, which are responsible for maintaining relations between Austria and Switzerland’s parliaments.

During the working dinner, National Council president Aebi addressed Switzerland’s current challenges in connection with the institutional framework agreement with the EU. He explained the ongoing debate in Switzerland and emphasised that the outcome of negotiations would ultimately have to pass a referendum. Austrian National Council president Sobotka stressed the importance of staying in contact and finding a solution that is satisfactory for all sides.

In the past year, the already close relations between Switzerland and Austria have intensified even more. Both the President of the National Council, Andreas Aebi, and his predecessor Isabelle Moret met with Wolfgang Sobotka on several occasions to discuss the functioning of both parliaments during the pandemic. All parties agreed that this close contact had proved invaluable for both parliaments and should be continued.

Photo gallery on the Austrian National Council president’s visit: Official visit of His Excellency Mr Wolfgang SOBOTKA, President of the Austrian National Council, Bern, 5-6 May 2021