The president of the Council of States, Jean-René Fournier (PDC, VS), paid an official visit with a parliamentary delegation to Spain on 25 and 26 March 2019, and to Portugal on 27 and 28 March.

​Spain (Madrid)

On 25 March, Mr Fournier and of Council of States delegation were in Madrid for discussions with the president of the Spanish senate, Pío García-Escudero Márquez, and with the EU Secretary of State, Luis Marco Aguiriano. During their stay in the Spanish capital, the delegation visited the Congress of Deputies, where they were welcomed by its vice president, José Ignacio Prendes Prendes. During these various official talks, both the Swiss and the Spanish sides noted the excellent relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic and institutional sectors. Mr Fournier thanked Spain for its understanding towards Switzerland regarding the discussions on the institutional framework agreement and wished his counterpart every success with the upcoming legislative elections. The delegation then held talks with the mayor of the Spanish capital, Manuela Carmena, about the ‘Madrid central’ project, a pioneering project in Spain aimed at restricting traffic in the city centre in a bid to reduce environmental pollution.

Following these meetings, the delegation travelled to Toledo, capital of the province of the same name and the autonomous community of Castille-La Manche, to meet with the mayor of the city, Milagros Tolón. The delegation was also able to appreciate the magnificent architecture of this historic city, a UNESCO world heritage site. Mr Fournier noted on several occasions the quality of the meetings during this working visit.

In Madrid, the delegation had the pleasure of meeting young Swiss citizens aged 18 who were invited to a reception held in their honour. The members of Swiss parliament explained to this younger generation the Swiss political system and the important role of parliamentary diplomacy.

Portugal (Lisbon)

Switzerland and Portugal are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their productive bilateral diplomatic relations. On this occasion, Mr Fournier travelled to Lisbon on 27 and 28 March of this year, at the invitation of Assembly President, Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues. Mr Fournier underlined Switzerland’s ties with Portugal and the excellent relations between the two countries. He also mentioned the large Portuguese community in Switzerland and highlighted its integration and its participation in Switzerland’s social and economic success. During this meeting, Mr Fournier communicated, on behalf of Switzerland, our sincere condolences to the Portuguese people for the tragedy in Mozambique and congratulated Portugal for its responsiveness. He also drew attention the good collaboration between the two countries in Mozambique. Mr Rodrigues expressed his sincere thanks to Switzerland for its valuable and rapid assistance in the wake of the tragedy.

The discussions between the Swiss delegation, the vice chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities, Carlos Alberto Silva Gonçalves, and the chair of the European Affairs Committee, Regina Bastos, focused on foreign policy. The delegation also met with Teresa Ribeiro, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Duarte Cordeiro, Deputy Secretary of State of European Affairs. The programme for this official visit was rounded off with a courtesy visit to President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and Prime Minister Antonio Costa. The delegation also took the opportunity provided by this official working visit to meet members of the Swiss community in Portugal and members of the Portugal-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group.

European Union

With regard to the discussions on the European Union (EU) and the framework agreement between Switzerland and the EU, Mr Fournier stressed that Switzerland had always enjoyed excellent relations with the EU. The framework agreement, as it stands, still requires further clarification, in particular as regards the implementation in Switzerland of the four freedoms provided for by the EU. Furthermore, everyone agreed that the negotiations on the framework agreement were not taking place at an ideal time, taking into account Brexit, the parliamentary elections in Spain (28 April 2019), the European elections (23-26 May 2019), the parliamentary elections in Portugal (6 October 2019) and the federal elections in Switzerland (20 October 2019).

Composition of the delegation

The official delegation of the Council of States comprised the president of the Council of States, Jean-René Fournier (PDC/VS); the first vice president of the Council of States, Hans Stöckli (PS/BE); and members of the Council of States: Thomas Hefti (PLR/GL), Brigitte Häberli-Koller (PDC/TG), Roland Eberle (UDC/TG), Robert Cramer (Les Verts/GE) and Werner Luginbühl (PBD/BE).