Patience is not one of Lukas Mandl’s strengths of character, as he says himself – but his perseverance has been rewarded these days. The 44-year-old Austrian has been a Member of the European Parliament for the EPP since 2017. He has primarily come into the limelight in recent months as its chief negotiator with Switzerland. The talks aim to work out a so-called package solution, i.e. a framework agreement with the Swiss.