It is my pleasure to welcome you here again in Brussels, after we met in Davos in January. Today is a very important moment for relations between Europe and Switzerland. Today we will launch negotiations on a renewed partnership with closer ties and stronger trust. We have fought hard to get where we are today but the results are truly impressive. We both agree that we now have a common understanding and a basis of trust upon which to quickly make further progress in the negotiations. Let's make use of the momentum and continue working flat out.
Our aim is to complete the negotiations this year. This is important firstly because our relationship is unique. Our partnership deserves to be enhanced. These are challenging times. Global competition is becoming tougher. We therefore want to strengthen ties with our closest economic partners. Europe is Switzerland's largest trading partner. Switzerland's trade volume with the southern German Länder of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria alone is larger than its entire trade volume with China. These relations therefore need to be strengthened and maintained. We are also facing new challenges, for example in energy and health. It is worth us looking together at what we can improve and what we can make more from in those areas. For all our economic stakeholders – on both sides – it is important for us to have a fair and level playing field. Together we want to ensure this.
Secondly, we want to renew our partnership to create good conditions for our citizens. Our common understanding provides a solid basis for good protection of the rights of European citizens working in Switzerland. For us, it is critical that all EU citizens in Switzerland are treated equally – regardless of which Member State they come from. At the same time, we will work to ensure that Switzerland can participate in the European Union's programmes as it wishes. There is still a great deal of potential that we can exploit together, for example for our students to come together under the umbrella of Erasmus+, learn together, become friends – and thus create bonds that last a lifetime. Or to allow our bright scientific minds on both sides to carry out research and drive innovation together through Horizon Europe. Or, for example, by offering our scientists the opportunity to monitor climate change in the Alps through our Copernicus satellite programme. There are lots of areas. I have only touched upon a few.
We have a common understanding of each other that we want to develop in the interest of our citizens. Our goal is to conclude a package of ten agreements. Together, we aim to make good and rapid progress on each of them.
Lastly, I would like to say that I am very pleased about the new momentum in our shared relations. I would also like to thank Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and our Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič for their tireless work and commitment. Europe's door has always been open to a close partnership with Switzerland – one that benefits both sides. Now that our teams are setting to work, we wish them lots of luck and a strong tailwind to help them successfully open this new chapter of our partnership as soon as possible.
Once again, a warm welcome.
