Official working visit to Italy by the President of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter
Bern, 29.07.2014 - The President of the Swiss Confederation and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) Didier Burkhalter spoke strongly in favour of close and solid relations between Switzerland and Italy during his meeting in Rome with Matteo Renzi, President of the Council of Ministers. Italy has held the presidency of the European Council since 1 July 2014. Mr Burkhalter and Mr Renzi addressed a range of bilateral issues and discussed Switzerland’s EU policy. A meeting was also held with the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini.
During his meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers, the President of the Swiss Confederation expressed to Italy his best wishes for the fifth Italian presidency of the EU, which the country will hold up to end of this year. On the subject of Swiss policy towards the EU, Mr Burkhalter highlighted the mutual interest of Switzerland and the European Union in maintaining and consolidating the bilateral approach. He also reiterated the willingness of the Federal Council to continue current negotiations. Migration issues were also discussed.
At the bilateral level, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Renzi talked of the close ties between the two countries, which are strategic partners in many sectors, such as infrastructure, transport and energy. They welcomed the many high-level contacts between Switzerland and Italy in recent months. With the World Expo 2015 in Milan, which will be held under the theme "Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life", and the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016 there is no lack of opportunities for nurturing effective and sustainable relations.
During his meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers, the head of the FDFA emphasised how important it is for the two countries to adopt a constructive approach in resolving bilateral tax issues in a coherent and balanced manner. Mr Burkhalter appeared confident that agreement could be reached and arranged with Mr Renzi to hold technical discussions leading to a three-point package: 1) settlement of outstanding cases 2) exchange of information and black lists and 3) the issue of cross-border commuters.
Turning to international politics, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Renzi discussed the situation in Ukraine and the role played by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). As current chairman of the OSCE, Mr Burkhalter highlighted the fact that close coordination between the OSCE and the EU was essential for the organisation to help provide solutions to the crisis.
Whilst in Rome Mr Burkhalter, who is furthermore head of Swiss diplomacy, also met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Federica Mogherini. He drew attention to the importance of maintaining effective communication channels between the Swiss chairmanship of the OSCE and the Italian presidency of the EU, particularly in relation to the crisis in Ukraine. The escalation in violence in the Middle East and recent developments in Libya and Iraq were also discussed by Ms Mogherini and Mr Burkhalter. In addition, the Swiss president welcomed the fact that the Italian presidency of the EU has set the abolition of the death penalty as a priority, as this is also one of Switzerland’s priority commitments.
Further information:
Jean-Marc Crevoisier
Head of Information FDFA
Tel. +41 79 763 84 10
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CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
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Twitter: @SwissMFA
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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
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