Today's meeting between the two ministers in Neuchâtel took place just weeks after their last bilateral talks on the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. They began their meeting by recalling the tragic bus accident that had occurred the previous day in Spain. Mr Burhalter expressed his condolences to Mr Gentiloni, as several young Italian citizens had lost their lives in the accident. A young Swiss woman was also injured.
The talks focused on bilateral matters, particularly cross-border issues. The two ministers also broached the ongoing consultations to strengthen cooperation between police authorities and fight cross-border crime.
As part of the other bilateral topics under discussion, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Gentiloni looked ahead to the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 1 June this year. This event illustrates the enormous potential to strengthen ties between Switzerland and Italy, they said. Talking about other important steps in bilateral relations between the two countries, Mr Burkhalter also described the new regulations to prevent double taxation and the new cross-border commuters agreement.
In addition, Switzerland and Italy are seeking to work closer together in terms of sharing premises abroad. To this end, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in these co-location projects.
Europe and immigration
Lastly, Mr Burkhalter and Mr Gentiloni discussed the implementation of the new article on immigration in the Swiss Federal Constitution. The head of the FDFA emphasised that the Federal Council was striving to reach a mutually agreed solution with the EU which would also safeguard Switzerland's bilateral approach. Mr Burkhalter and Mr Gentiloni agreed that the talks on a mutually agreed solution between Switzerland the EU should be continued. Mr Gentiloni pledged Italy's support for this process.
Mr Burkhalter went on to explain the Federal Council's decision to introduce a unilateral safeguard clause should an agreement with the EU not be reached in time. This would be necessary to comply with the three-year deadline for implementing the new article on immigration. The two ministers also talked about developments in other Swiss-EU dossiers, in particular the negotiations for an institutional agreement.
Today's meeting was also an opportunity to discuss the migration crisis and the situation in the Middle East, Western Balkans and Mediterranean. Mr Burkhalter stated that it was now vital for the refugees' countries of origin, transit and destination to work together closely and to take equal responsibility in order to deal with the crisis. Both ministers also praised the cooperation between their two countries on migration issues and highlighted the importance of this.
Switzerland and Italy have very close ties that are extremely diverse. The volume of trade between the two countries was around CHF 34 billion in 2015. Italy is Switzerland's third-largest trading partner. For its part, Switzerland is Italy's fifth-largest export market. Around 310,000 Italian citizens live in Switzerland, making them the largest group of resident foreign nationals. In addition, about 70,000 cross-border commuters from Italy come to work in Switzerland every day. Approximately 50,000 Swiss citizens live in Italy.
Further information:
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Italy
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