The Swiss delegation led by Karin Keller-Sutter, member of the Council of States (FDP/SG) and vice president of Switzerland’s EFTA/EU Delegation, will attend a regular meeting of the EFTA Parliamentary Committee in Brussels on 23 February and meet with representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EFTA General Secretariat to discuss EFTA and EU trade policy, trade relations between the EU and Canada, as well as international trade agreements such as the TTIP, TPP and TiSA. At the meeting, the EFTA Parliamentary Committee will hear from EFTA Secretary General Kristinn F. Árnason, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and MEPs Viviane Reding (EPP/Luxembourg), Christofer Fjellner (EPP/Sweden), Artis Pabriks (EPP/Latvia) and David Campbell Bannerman (ECR/UK).
In view of the successfully concluded TPP agreement and the TTIP agreement being negotiated between the EU and the USA, it is extremely important for the EFTA states to secure market access with as little discrimination as possible, so as to ensure that they retain their economic appeal and competitiveness. In order to not be left out of the economic integration of Switzerland and EFTA’s two largest trading partners, the EFTA Parliamentary Committee is closely monitoring the ongoing negotiations between the EU and the USA. It also has the task of exploring the possibility of the EFTA states potentially taking up negotiations on acceding to the TTIP or on concluding its own free trade agreement with the USA.
The members of Switzerland’s EFTA/EU Delegation will be available to take questions from the press at 4pm on 23 February at the EFTA General Secretariat (12-16 rue Joseph II).
Bern, 22 February 2016 Parliamentary Services