Mr Cassis was joined by Switzerland's chief negotiator, Patric Franzen, and state secretaries Alexandre Fasel (FDFA), Helene Budliger (SECO) and Christine Schraner Burgener (SEM).
Since negotiations began last March, the Swiss and EU delegations, led respectively by chief negotiators Patric Franzen and Richard Szostak, have held more than 170 sessions. These efforts demonstrate the willingness of both parties to stabilise the bilateral path in the long term and further its development in areas of common interest.
At their meeting, Mr Cassis and Mr Šefčovič noted that the negotiations were well advanced in most areas of the package. They went on to discuss the pending issues, reaffirming their commitment to concluding the negotiations for a balanced and mutually beneficial package of solutions aimed at modernising Swiss-EU relations. If the overall content is deemed satisfactory, a substantive conclusion to the negotiations should be reached by the end of the year.
Mr Cassis also highlighted the importance of Switzerland's parallel dialogue with its cantons, social and economic partners, and parliamentary committees, in order to reach the best possible consensus in terms of domestic policy.
Mr Cassis and Mr Šefčovič concluded their exchange by agreeing to remain in regular contact so as to closely monitor this final phase of the negotiations.
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