Relations between the EU and Switzerland

The Spaniard Eneko Landaburu, the EU's director general for external relations, explains in an interview led by Eléonore Sulser the efforts undertaken by Switzerland to reach a framework agreement with the EU. "It is important that we say we will not accept any sort of 'membership light' offer. We cannot accept any formula that would grant advantages without the obligations and responsibilities that come with being a member of a family," Landaburu warns. "We can live very easily without Switzerland, even if we are very fond of it. We should not let this traumatise us. We would like to see Switzerland become a member of the family so that it can influence our decisions, so that it is better able to defend its interests in the EU. But the people having expressed themselves [by referendum], we have nothing else to say."

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