The EFTA Parliamentary Committee meets twice a year for ordinary meetings, at which the Swiss parliament is represented by the EFTA/EU Delegation. This working meeting in Brussels provides an opportunity for the parliamentary delegations of the EFTA states to discuss with the Swiss chair of the EFTA Council the latter's priorities and the current status of EFTA's free trade policy towards third countries such as India and the Mercosur states. New priorities for future negotiations, such as the focus on SMEs, will also be discussed. The head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, has held the one-year rotating chair of the EFTA Council since July 2023. He is represented in Brussels by State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda.
The EFTA Parliamentary Committee will also meet representatives of the European Commission and think tanks to discuss the latest developments in the geopolitical and trade policy environment. The topics under discussion will include support for the economic reconstruction of Ukraine and the safe development of artificial intelligence.
The EFTA Parliamentary Committee will also meet up with the EFTA Consultative Committee in Brussels and together they will hold a meeting with the foreign ministers of the EEA member states. The Swiss members of this committee of parliamentarians are observers in EEA affairs.
Following the EFTA meetings, the EFTA/EU delegation will meet representatives of the European technology sector and German industry to discuss the situation regarding critical raw materials, net-zero targets and developments in the EU Regulation on machinery that affect Switzerland.
The working visit will conclude with a stop in Strasbourg, where the EFTA/EU delegation will meet the rapporteurs of the resolution on EU-Swiss relations to discuss the text adopted by the European Parliament on 4 October 2023 and recent developments in European policy.
The president of the EFTA/EU delegation, Benedikt Würth (Council of States, The Centre/SG), Hannes Germann (Council of States, SVP/SH), and Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (National Council, The Centre/BL), Thomas Aeschi (National Council, SVP/ZG), Eric Nussbaumer (National Council, SP/BL) Hans-Peter Portmann (National Council, FDP/ZH) and Nicolas Walder (National Council, The Greens/GE) will take part in this working meeting.