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EU, Swiss aim to seal cooperation agreement in 2024

World

EU, Swiss aim to seal cooperation agreement in 2024

By Agence France-Presse

GENEVA, Switzerland - The Swiss government and the European Commission want to begin talks on a cooperation agreement "without delay", they said in a joint statement Friday.

Both parties said they believed a positive outcome was now "within reach" two years after the Swiss suddenly slammed the door on years-long negotiations.

The two sides released a 13-page document that will serve as a detailed framework for the coming talks.

They now have to get a mandate to go forward "with a view to completing negotiations in 2024".

The aim of the talks is to get an agreement that will allow Switzerland to function more efficiently with the European Union in a range of areas.

That includes the European interior market, transport, electricity, Swiss participation in European programmes covering research and "high-level" dialogue.

The EU is by far Switzerland's most important trading partner, because of its economic and political weight as well as its geographic and cultural proximity.

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