Swiss foreign minister, EU Commission vice-president hold exploratory talks in Bern

GENEVA

Switzerland's Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and EU Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday held exploratory talks in Bern, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

"In the course of discussions, Switzerland and the EU have developed a common understanding of the sectoral approach, also known as the package approach, proposed by the Federal Council," the statement read.

According to the ministry, the exchange between Cassis and Sefcovic "provided an opportunity to take stock at political level of the exploratory process between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) started in March 2022 as well as to discuss the next steps."

Cassis and Sefcovic appreciated the work done so far, hailing the delegations' work producing concrete outcomes, the same source added.

"Foreign Minister Cassis highlighted that the exploratory process with the EU has been accompanied in Switzerland by extensive internal consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the cantons, the economic sector, the trade unions and the political parties," the statement read.

The next exploratory talks will take place on April 20 in Brussels, the ministry added.

Sefcovic in a conference at University of Fribourg said that the EU's doors are always open to Switzerland, local media reported.

He added that EU's aim is to achieve the negotiations by the summer of 2024, according to media reports.

The exploratory talks aim to see if there is a possible basis to start negotiating.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara