10/05/23 (Agence Europe) – The Swiss Secretary of State and chief negotiator for EU-Swiss relations, Livia Leu, has asked to leave her post to become Swiss ambassador in Berlin. Her application was successful and she will leave her post at the end of August 2023. Ms Leu was appointed chief negotiator for relations with the EU in October 2020, a few months before the Federal Council ended negotiations on the EU-Swiss framework agreement. Since then, she has led the discussions on the Swiss side for a new package of agreements with the EU. These are still at the stage of exploratory discussions, but the Swiss Federal Council hopes to adopt a negotiating mandate in June 2023 (see EUROPE 13153/19). On Wednesday 10 May, the European Commission welcomed the work carried out by Livia Leu and indicated that its objective remained unchanged: “to conclude the exploratory talks as soon as possible, and the negotiations by the summer of 2024”. (LM)