Negotiations between Italy and Switzerland: Regio Insubrica wants to intervene

Regio Insubrica is asking to intervene in the negotiations between Italy and Switzerland in order to solve the problem of frozen rebates. In a letter sent to the Confederation’s president Micheline Calmy-Rey and to premier Silvio Berlusconi on 14 October, the organisation proposed to host the discussion and asked that two representatives, an Italian and a Swiss, participate. The main question is the decision by the Swiss government to suspend a part of the fiscal rebates and most likely the representatives of the two Leagues (Bossi’s Northern League and Bignasca’s Ticino League) will discuss the matter. Months ago, there already was a negotiation attempt between the parties, when Ticino League’s counsellor Norman Gobbi (the actual president of Regio Insubrica’s executive committee) attended a summit in Villa Recalcati together with ”Senatùr” Umberto Bossi and other important representatives of the Northern League such as the Interior Ministry Roberto Maroni and the MP Giancarlo Giorgetti. However, from that day, relations have not improved, and so it was necessary to start negotiations between Switzerland and Italy, for a complete amendment of the tax treaty, signed in 1976, and for a partial amendment of some norms of the treaty related to border-workers’ taxes. 

”Switzerland and Italy”, we can read in the document signed by the President of the Province Dario Galli, by State counsellor Norman Gobbi, and by Ticino’s chancellor Giampiero Gianella, “have always maintained good economic, political, human and cultural relations, with a common language and frequent visits to and from all Authorities. However, the rising gap between the two positions, particularly in fiscal matters, damaged our bilateral relations in the last years. Regio Insubrica puts itself up to encourage a dialogue between the two involved countries and is openly available in its territory as a place of encounter for the negotiations between the two sides. Moreover, this offer had already been brought forward by the President of Regio Insubrica Norman Gobbi, in occasion of the ambassador’s day during the Locarno International Film Festival, an event that also saw the participation of Italy’s ambassador in Switzerland, Giuseppe Deodato, and Switzerland’s ambassador in Italy, Bernardino Regazzoni.” The organisation ”believes that it can be involved in the aforementioned discussion with two representatives of its Executive Committee, an Italian and a Swiss.” “Regio Insubrica” we can read as a conclusion “is convinced that through cooperation new perspectives can be born, and that it is necessary to discuss matters which have surfaced in the aforementioned bilateral relations. By improving these relations, particularly in fiscal matters, and by promoting a stable and enduring cross-border collaboration, we can guarantee that common bilateral interests be maintained.