Swiss eye arbitration panel to settle disputes with EU

ZURICH: The Swiss government has amended its mandate for negotiating a new treaty with the European Union to pursue having an arbitration panel settle disputes over single market rules, it said on Monday.

Brussels has heaped pressure on Bern to sign a treaty under which non-EU member Switzerland would adopt EU laws governing the single market as the price of enhanced access. It would have the European Court of Justice give its opinion on disputes.

This is anathema to the anti-immigration Swiss People's Party, which is the largest in parliament and has two of seven cabinet seats. Many Swiss conservatives are also wary of giving "foreign judges" such power, so setting up an arbitration panel could help move talks forward.