EU executive sees no decisions on relationship with Switzerland on Tuesday

EU executive sees no decisions on relationship with Switzerland on Tuesday
FILE PHOTO: An EU flag flies beside Switzerland's national flag near the German-Swiss border in Rheinfelden, Germany, March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd WIegmann Copyright Arnd Wiegmann(Reuters)
Copyright Arnd Wiegmann(Reuters)
By Reuters
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LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The European Commission will discuss the European Union's relations with Switzerland at its next meeting on Tuesday, but does not expect to take any decisions at this stage, a Commission spokeswoman told a regular briefing.

Swiss ties with the European Union, its biggest trading partner, face a critical test this week as Brussels should decide whether the two sides have made enough progress on a stalled draft treaty to head off punitive measures on Swiss bourses set to start at the end of June.

"At this stage we don not anticipate decisions will be taken, but this could change," the spokeswoman said.

After more than four years of negotiations produced a draft text in November, the Swiss government this month tentatively endorsed the accord but said it needed clarifications on three areas -- protecting Swiss wages, regulating state aid, and spelling out citizens' rights -- before it could sign off.

(Reporting By Phil Blenkinsop; writing by Jan Strupczewski; editing by Francesco Guarascio)

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