Open conflict on the EU issue Beat Jans and Ueli Maurer ring alarm bells in Bern

Justice Minister Beat Jans and former Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer are publicly arguing about the new negotiations with the EU. This has left Bern shaking its head.

Switzerland and the EU are negotiating with each other again. They are not doing so in secret, but discreetly. After the negotiations on the framework agreement failed with loud discord, this is certainly not the worst strategy.

But now negotiations are once again being drowned out by loud arguments in this country of all places. Justice Minister Beat Jans wrote in a guest article in the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" at the beginning of the week that he sees Switzerland's sovereignty and ability to act strengthened by possible new bilateral agreements with the EU.

This is because clear rules are needed for relations with important partners in a networked world. The "Bilaterals III", as Jans officially calls the negotiations for the first time, would create legal certainty - for Swiss scientists as well as for SMEs that want to do business with European partners, according to Jans.

Criticism in Bern: "Highly clumsy negotiating tactics"

A view that former Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer does not share. Jans' statements "drove him up the wall," writes "Blick". The SVP politician had also written a sharp response to Jan's EU approach in the "NZZ", in which he wrote of an "almost malicious distortion of the facts".

People in Bern are not particularly pleased about the open dispute. FDP President Thierry Burkart attested that both Jans and Maurer were "not acting magisterially". Jans' contribution was "highly inept in terms of negotiating tactics".

It was unacceptable for a "representative of the national government who is not responsible for the dossier to signal to the other side, even before the negotiations have been concluded and the Federal Council has adopted its position, that Switzerland needs virtually any result and would therefore accept it."

Center National Councillor: "SVP is panicking"

But Burkart is also annoyed that Maurer, as a former Federal Councillor, is interfering and contradicting an incumbent Federal Councillor. "Both of them are playing pure party politics and have clearly not yet found their role as a Federal Councillor and as a former Federal Councillor."

Central National Councillor Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter, on the other hand, shows understanding for Beat Jans. It is important to have a broad debate on the topic now and "not just when the agreement comes to Parliament." Especially as it is necessary for weighty supporters to speak out because the SVP is constantly running a "negative campaign": "Ueli Maurer's reply only shows the SVP's panic."