SWITZERLAND [NEWS SERVICE] ⋅ Swiss Re President Walter Kielholz seldom intervenes in political debates – but when he does, it is pointed. Now he is campaigning for the framework agreement. At the moment, however, there are delusions, he criticizes.
(of) While criticism of the framework agreement has also increased from business, the retiring Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swiss Re is defending the Federal Council. The agreement was negotiated absolutely well, said Walter Kielholz in the Saturday broadcast of Radio SRF. It is clear to him: Switzerland must be closely allied with Europe. It makes little sense to spark a conflict for domestic political reasons.
For Kielholz, the debate on the framework agreement has long since left the objective level. Everything is emotional and moralizing, he states. After twelve years of incubation, a framework agreement fever broke out. One suffers from delusions. Kielholz therefore pleads for a break so that there can be objective discussions again.
The economic doyen suspects intent in the current heated argument. He is not sure how much opportunism there is in the resistance. Now we have to go back to the fundamental interests that Switzerland has. That is easier than said, because the country has always struggled with foreign policy.
What if the feared consequences of the framework agreement materialize? It makes perfect sense for Kielholz to take stock after a few years. If it is a disaster, the contract can still be canceled, he emphasizes, referring to Britain’s exit from the European Union.
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