Swiss FM Cassis greets European Commission VP Sefcovic for Swiss-EU talks

On Wednesday, Swiss Foreign Minister Cassis hosted European Commission vice-president Sefcovic at a working meeting and late dinner at the 18th-century Lohn manor house outside Bern.

The foreign ministry statement said the two men had "discussed the issues that remain open, and reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a balanced and mutually beneficial package of solutions to modernise relations".

The two sides are seeking to "stabilise and develop" relations, which are currently governed by more than 120 agreements. Switzerland has been part of the EU's Schengen open-borders area since 2008.

They had also agreed "to remain in regular contact in order to closely follow the final phase of the negotiations", it added.