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“Now the world is no longer waiting for us”: Baden-Württemberg.de

Reduce bureaucracy in order to finally become faster in the expansion of renewable energies – that is what Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has taken on. In an interview with the “Schwäbische Zeitung”, the head of government also emphasized Baden-Württemberg’s role in the dispute between the EU and Switzerland.

Schwäbische Zeitung: Mr. Kretschmann, numerous bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) were to be bundled and further developed in a framework agreement. In May, Switzerland broke negotiations after seven years. You are considered a great friend of Switzerland, Baden-Württemberg is economically, politically and personally closely interwoven with the neighboring country. How does it go from here?

Winfried Kretschmann: Everyone was surprised that Switzerland was leaving the negotiations so suddenly and without prior notice. Above all, I also have the impression that Switzerland does not have a plan B. The bilateral agreements continue to apply for the time being. But it’s just like the smartphone. If I stop updating it, it will become obsolete over time. The world continues to develop and then it can happen that gradually these contracts are no longer up to date. Ultimately, such stagnation nowadays always means a step backwards. Above all, important future issues such as health and energy and power supply remain by the wayside.

Mediator between the EU and Switzerland

In part, what was warned about has already happened. In July, the European Commission informed Bern that Switzerland would be treated as a non-associated third country when submitting research projects for Horizon Europe and related programs and initiatives. Is that a logical consequence of the decision?

Kretschmann: The Swiss ambassador once again made it clear to me that Switzerland did not feel that it was being treated correctly. We are already in talks with the EU on this. We like to do that too, we always see ourselves as a mediator between the EU and Switzerland. In any case, it is a central concern that Switzerland should participate as widely as possible in the EU research program Horizon Europe. This example also shows how important the framework agreement is, conversely, for the EU. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the key technologies of the future. Switzerland is a leading research location in this area and has a hotspot with the ETH Zurich, as does Great Britain. We cannot actually do without these important partners with their excellent scientific institutions in the research association. We have just signed a memorandum of understanding for an AI alliance with our Swiss partners. Such European alliances are crucial to our future competitiveness.

I hope that Switzerland will work on alternatives as soon as possible and make suggestions on how it envisions future relations with the EU. Switzerland is a heartland in Europe, it shares the same values ​​with us. In terms of imports, Switzerland is our most important trading partner, in terms of exports, the third most important. That is one of the reasons why we do not want a break with Switzerland.

Set positive impulses for cooperation

Andreas Schwab (CDU), chairman of the Swiss delegation in the European Parliament, spoke of “considerable damage to the fields” by the Swiss Federal Council. More than seven years of negotiations have been “wasted pointlessly”. “A few hardliners prevailed in the Swiss administration who would have lost in a referendum”. What is the mood like between the negotiating partners?

Kretschmann: I don’t want to add fuel to the fire. In Baden-Württemberg, we have decided to continue our Switzerland strategy and thus to set positive impulses for concrete cooperation. All sides have a very vital interest in ensuring that Switzerland does not move away from the EU. The interdependencies are far too close and we cannot afford that, especially in the area of ​​research and development. And we mustn’t forget: Switzerland is a very reliable partner in many respects, as we in the EU currently have completely different construction sites with Poland and Hungary, for example when it comes to the rule of law. I will therefore work to ensure that, in the next step, we do not work out what separates, but rather the mutual benefits.

If you are criticized in this country for the slow expansion of renewable energies, you often point to Berlin. The regulations that come from the federal government are often much too bureaucratic, they say. Do you bring this point to Berlin?

Kretschmann: Reducing bureaucracy was a very big topic in the exploratory negotiations. I brought that in powerfully. The topic just burns under my nails. Wind power is an example of this: science tells us that we have a time window of ten to a maximum of 15 years. So we have to be much faster when it comes to climate protection. We have to at least triple the pace because we’re just way too slow at the moment. Let’s take a look at Switzerland. It takes billions in hand, is building a huge Lugano tunnel and its part of the route has long been finished. We haven’t got that far in ten years. Another example: As soon as I came to the state parliament, there was talk about the electrification of the southern runway. That was 40 years ago.

In the past, the world may have been waiting for us because we made great products that others couldn’t. Now the world is no longer waiting for us. We face enormous competition globally. And if we do not manage to become faster and reduce the bureaucracy of processes, Germany as a business location will fall behind. That’s why I’m so adamant about the subject now.

Get faster with implementation and approvals

A task force in the country is now supposed to ensure that things go faster with the administration, for example with the expansion of wind power. According to the Regulatory Control Council, the country is only responsible for six percent of the bureaucracy …

Kretschmann: But we can get faster with the implementation and the approvals. When it comes to the question of how the law is interpreted, a rethink is also required in our authorities, for example. We must not always go for maximum security, but sometimes have to accept a few risks. Right now in politics it is much more worthwhile to avoid mistakes than to be innovative. This can not be!

What does that mean in concrete terms?

Kretschmann: With wind power, we want to at least halve the time from idea to implementation. That’s ambitious, but it’s absolutely necessary and that’s why I’m making it a top priority.

They are also being criticized because many new jobs are being created in the administration. But don’t more bureaucrats create more bureaucracy?

Kretschmann: No. That’s a prejudice. The new Medical Device Ordinance was not created by ministerial bureaucrats, but as a result of the scandal over cheap silicone breast implants in France. This is a typical reflex: a scandal happens and then the regulatory machinery rolls in so that nothing more can happen. Of course, patient protection and the precautionary principle are extremely important, but you cannot rule out every risk. We need optimum, not maximum, security. There needs to be a better balance.

But what leverage does the state of Baden-Württemberg actually have to influence Brussels decisions?

Kretschmann: The European Union lives from the fact that the regions, the citizens actively contribute, and we do that at this point too. We are regularly in first place in the innovation index of the regions of the EU. This is well known in Brussels. Everyone knows that we are the SME region. The EU internal market is very important to us as an export region. If we come and show that an EU decision is causing difficulties for our medium-sized companies and their innovations, then that already carries weight. And we also show very specific ways of what can be improved, for example through special rules for the approval of medically highly innovative niche products.

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