Regular and friendly exchanges have taken place between the Austrian and Swiss parliaments in recent years. The visit by National Council president Wolfgang Sobotka follows that of the Austria-Switzerland parliamentary friendship group, which came to Bern on 15 and 16 May. This official meeting provides an opportunity to continue talks at presidential level, after National Council president Martin Candinas and Council of States president Brigitte Häberli-Koller were invited to the opening of the renovated Austrian parliament building last January.
The talks will cover bilateral relations between Switzerland and Austria, relations with the European Union, and international affairs where the focus will be on the war in Ukraine and its consequences. Also on the agenda are cross-border issues and the implementation of the strategic partnership agreed by the foreign ministries of the two countries in the summer of 2021.
During his stay, the president of the Austrian National Council will pay a courtesy visit to Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The programme also includes a meeting with Martin Schlegel, vice president of the Swiss National Bank, where the discussion will address the impact of the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS and other financial policy issues such as the fight against inflation.