20/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Union and Switzerland held a third negotiating session on Bern signing up to the Schengen Agreements on the abolition of border controls and to the Dublin agreement on examination of asylum requests. Negotiations are still stumbling against the scope of the Schengen provisions on judicial cooperation (Switzerland has a far more restrictive vision than the Commission: see EUROPE of 7/8 October, p.12) and on the adoption of new Schengen provisions once Switzerland has signed up to it (it hopes to be able to refuse texts that it does not find suitable). Monique Jametti Greiner, Vice Director of the Federal Justice Office, nonetheless assured that the meeting has "allowed the parties to close the gap between their different points of view". "Several technical aspects of the Schengen/Dublin acquis, such as narcotics, data protection, police cooperation and visas has already been clarified at expert level", she said. The next meeting will be held on 3 December, when both parties are expected to discuss a first draft agreement.