Brussels, 09/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission adopted a proposal calling on the Council to grant it a negotiating brief with Switzerland in four new areas (we recall that seven new agreements are to take effect this summer). During the discussion, said spokesman Jonathan Faull, a Commissioner regretted that the EU did not have a more structured relationship with Switzerland and that it did not have summits with this country. The Commission proposed negotiations on:
Schengen in order to involve Switzerland in cooperation in the context of the Schengen Agreement, after the model agreed with Norway and Iceland.
Asylum. Switzerland had expressed its wish to participate in cooperation under the Dublin Agreement, which establishes criteria and mechanisms for determining which State is responsible for considering an application for asylum submitted in one of its Member States.
Services, in order to reach a free trade agreement in this field.
Audiovisual. Switzerland hopes to conclude a bilateral agreement in order to take part in the Media Plus programme. Christophe Forax, spokesman for Viviane Reding, noted: "Switzerland's possible participation (…) is on the assumption that this country has legislation on the Community body of law, mainly concerning the television without borders directive" and that "the external dimension of Swiss audiovisual policy is compatible with our own", but "we have seen that this is not the case in the context of the Doha negotiations at the WTO" (see EUROPE of 25 July 2001, p.16).