Brussels, 02/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Expert-level meetings are planned for October and November to make progress on a file which still requires institutional issues to be resolved.
Opening up markets, renewable energy and subsidies for energy producers were the focus of discussions in Brussels between European Commissioner for Energy Günther Oettinger and President of the Swiss Federal Council Doris Leuthard on Tuesday 1 October - as part of the negotiations for an EU-Switzerland agreement on electricity. The agreement, which is to regulate transit and reciprocal market access, has been under negotiation since 2006.
“There is still no concrete result but the discussions are moving forward”, said Oettinger's spokesperson, Marlene Holzner. Meetings are scheduled for October and November at expert level, and a ministerial meeting is planned for January 2014. “We hope to move forward but the problem is not only just at the level of an agreement on electricity but also on the institutional issue”, said Holzner.
“We have made good progress”, stated Leuthard, saying that the negotiations are now based on a written draft agreement. A solution is being drawn up, but points of friction remain - like the subsidies to energy producers and the renewables directive, she added, quoted by Swiss news agency ATS. According to the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), a compromise is reportedly in sight on the issue of priority granted to long term contracts at the border between France and Switzerland.
However, a bilateral agreement on electricity remains up in the air, on the European side, pending regulation of institutional issues and the automatic incorporation of European law by Switzerland.
Switzerland has long been averse to negotiating the institutional framework agreement desired by the EU, which would incorporate the whole body of sectoral agreements already concluded, and which would require Switzerland to incorporate the body of law on the internal energy market. Switzerland would prefer a sectoral agreement ensuring it further opening of the EU market but not subjecting it to Community law.
Nevertheless, Switzerland does not want to be managed by the EU as a third country after the completion of the internal energy market planned for 2014. And, without an agreement on electricity, its absence from the EU single market could have negative consequences in the medium term. Massive investment is needed in Switzerland's electricity networks due to its abandonment of nuclear energy and of electricity market coupling. Without an agreement with Switzerland, the EU would build its network by excluding transit through Switzerland - which would deprive the country of a large market, as nearly 10% of surplus European electricity is delivered there. (EH/transl.fl)