Swiss voters clearly reject curbs on EU immigration

By Michael Shields

 

FILE PHOTO: A man walks past posters of the Swiss People's Party (SVP) and of the Komitee Arbeitsplaetze fuer Einheimische schuetzen (committee to protect jobs for locals) against the anti-immigration initiative in Zurich, Switzerland September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

 

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected on Sunday a right-wing party's attempt to scrap a pact allowing the free movement of people from the European Union, opting for stability amid the economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The Swiss People's Party (SVP) had forced a referendum on the EU agreement in a bid to curb immigration to the country where foreigners make up a quarter of the population.

 

The measure lost, as expected, by a 62%-38% margin.

 

"The bilateral path is the right one for Switzerland and for the EU. The Swiss people have confirmed this path again today," Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter told reporters in Bern.

 

"Today is a great day for the relations between the European Union and Switzerland," European Council President Charles Michel tweeted. "The Swiss people have spoken & sent a clear message: together we have a great future ahead of us."

 

The SVP - the biggest party in parliament - has long pushed to take back control of immigration, echoing some arguments pro-Brexit politicians used in the run-up to Britain's exit from the EU. It won a referendum on the issue in 2014, only to see parliament water down its implementation.

 

Opponents said the plan would have robbed business of skilled workers and torpedoed accords that enhance non-EU member Switzerland's access to the crucial EU single market.

 

Around two-thirds of the 2.1 million foreigners living in Switzerland in 2019 were citizens of the EU, as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which with Switzerland are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

 

More than 450,000 Swiss live in the EU.

 

The domestic political battle immediately turned to Switzerland's biggest foreign policy headache: a stalled treaty meant to cement ties with the EU but which critics say infringes too much on Swiss sovereignty and would never win a referendum.

 

With questions open over state aid, rules to protect high Swiss wages, and access to welfare benefits, the Swiss have dragged their feet while trying to forge a domestic consensus, triggering a row over cross-border stock trading.

 

"The government will determine Switzerland's position in the coming weeks and take up discussions with the EU over the issues that remain open," Keller-Sutter said.

 

Voters also blocked an attempt to make it easier to shoot wolves deemed a threat to livestock.

 

They narrowly approved the government's plans to buy new fighter jets for up to 6 billion Swiss francs ($6.46 billion).

 

(Reporting by Michael Shields, Editing by Timothy Heritage, Andrew Heavens and David Evans)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-09-28

 

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Having worked 27 years in Geneva I have to admit that Switzerland is definitely on of the greatest places on the Planet. But I have been to new New Zealand, yet.

 

That must be the beginning of the end of the EU that Brexiteers keep predicting for decades. 

4 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

That must be the beginning of the end of the EU that Brexiteers keep predicting for decades. 

Why? They voted to keep mobility and they aren'y even in the EU. Passed by a "super-majority" of early 2 to 1.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Voters also blocked an attempt to make it easier to shoot wolves deemed a threat to livestock.

 

They narrowly approved the government's plans to buy new fighter jets for up to 6 billion Swiss francs ($6.46 billion).

 

Seems a bit of overkill to use jets just to kills wolves, surely?

 

And to think, we complain about the Thai government buying submarines. Pffft

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected on Sunday a right-wing party's attempt to scrap a pact allowing the free movement of people from the European Union,

Well done Switzerland, always good to see a country reject notions based in prejudice. 

Islamaphobic post reported and removed.  

 

2 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

You wouldn't have thought that that discredited <deleted> has any traction today.......... some people are so sad.

The English speaking world is especially keen on becoming a minority in their own countries all the while decrying how terrible it is being a minority. How is this not the same collective madness that Enoch Powell spoke of? I think he was on to something.

6 minutes ago, genericptr said:

The English speaking world is especially keen on becoming a minority in their own countries all the while decrying how terrible it is being a minority. How is this not the same collective madness that Enoch Powell spoke of? I think he was on to something.

I find that kind of viewpoint so numbingly stupefied it amazes me that anyone can be so dumb.

These are the kind of racist views that being in the 19th century - how anyone these days can think (using the word loosely) like that is beyond me

11 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

I find that kind of viewpoint so numbingly stupefied it amazes me that anyone can be so dumb.

These are the kind of racist views that being in the 19th century - how anyone these days can think (using the word loosely) like that is beyond me

What's stupid about not wanting to give away your homeland? The rest of the world (especially Asia) must be a proper bunch of retards if this is true. Last time we checked being a minority is bad thing, but what do we know.

3 minutes ago, genericptr said:

What's stupid about not wanting to give away your homeland? The rest of the world (especially Asia) must be a proper bunch of retards if this is true. Last time we checked being a minority is bad thing, but what do we know.

QED - This thread is about the Swiss referendum but it has thrown up some of th most stupid posts of the year.

Rather surprised by the numbers in the results.

 

Don't think there will be a vote on Immigration in the U.K., once it finally left the E.U. in 2021.

 

However it will be interesting to see, if the U.K. government, in 2021, will come with concrete plans in this matter.

 

Something I assume, Hard Brexiters, and others, expect.

Well done Swiss. You are one of the wealthiest of country's and you will continue to be so. UK not so much.

As they are not in the EU, they don't need to accept stupid Brussel's rules. Furthermore, CH is still wealthy in comparosion to many EU countries, however also have a problem with too many non EU immigrants. Just look at the French speaking part of CH.

30 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

Rather surprised by the numbers in the results.

 

Don't think there will be a vote on Immigration in the U.K., once it finally left the E.U. in 2021.

 

However it will be interesting to see, if the U.K. government, in 2021, will come with concrete plans in this matter.

 

Something I assume, Hard Brexiters, and others, expect.

UK immigration levels have to remain the same or increase if the economy is to function. Where they come from may change and of course Brits will no longer be able to work in Europe without visas.

1 hour ago, George Aylesham said:

Clearly a disciple of Enoch Powell.

A great man was Enoch Powell , if people had listened to him the United Kingdom wouldn’t be in the mess it is now

When it comes to sum up the Swiss, no matter what you think of the result of this vote, their flag is a big plus.

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Voters also blocked an attempt to make it easier to shoot wolves deemed a threat to livestock.

Reminds me of a story back in the 90’s, when wildlife conservation groups were trying to re-introduce the lynx (bobcat) back into the wild in the Jura region of Switzerland and France. They had been negotiating about it with the government and the farmers for years already, and the sheep and goat farmers and shepherds in particular would have nothing of it, claiming the lynx would kill many of their animals. 
Then one day the wildlife conservation groups drop a bombshell and announce they have already re-introduced several lynx back into the wild a few years before and the animals are thriving. When asked if they had lost an unexpected number of animals to predators over the last couple of years, the farmers and shepherds had to admit that this hadn’t been the case.

I will leave it up to you to figure out the analogies between this story and the OP. 

36 minutes ago, Foghorn said:

A great man was Enoch Powell , if people had listened to him the United Kingdom wouldn’t be in the mess it is now

If you admire racists I suppose. Funny how the Brits sent their own all over the globe and that seems fine with them. The world reciprocates and it's somehow a problem. Again, good on the Swiss. It has a huge immigrant population but is at the top for medium wealth. 

6 minutes ago, pegman said:

If you admire racists I suppose. Funny how the Brits sent their own all over the globe and that seems fine with them. The world reciprocates and it's somehow a problem. Again, good on the Swiss. It has a huge immigrant population but is at the top for medium wealth. 

Are you blaming the Brits for something that happened over the last few hundred years, if you are you really need to lose that chip on your shoulder as the Brits alive today have had nothing to do with history. History has happened, there is nothing we can do to change that. There are many countries that "sent their own all over the globe" but it never occurs to you to remind them of their history does it, I wonder why?

And finally this is a thread about the Swiss and their rejection to curbs immigration, and as we say 'up to them' but these threads usually morph into Brexit or Brit bash.

Utter horse-<deleted>, Swiss is central Europe, having the ability for Swiss to work outside of its borders, and likewise border region people to work inside Swiss borders, is part and parcel of its success, the Country thrives on Italians, German's, French, etc, I myself have a home there, and I myself work from home when there, If it were to just be short-term 'touristy' focused, and red-tape for non Swiss to work/live there it would collapse the economy within a year, real-estate and commerce in one.

 

You only have to look at City Airport (London) packed every morning, with Lawyers, Financiers, Bankers heading to Swiss for their work, then returning home in the evening, or within a few days, same could be said in Paris, and Berlin.

Even Brexit won't affect that movement, a deal to continue this has already passed

 

2 hours ago, genericptr said:

What's stupid about not wanting to give away your homeland? The rest of the world (especially Asia) must be a proper bunch of retards if this is true. Last time we checked being a minority is bad thing, but what do we know.

The OP is in reference to Switzerland, not to your apparently hated homeland. All your vilification posts are Off Topic and of no relevance to Swiss laws concerning foreigners e.g. property / residency rights.

Some inflammatory posts and replies have been removed

1 hour ago, pegman said:

If you admire racists I suppose. Funny how the Brits sent their own all over the globe and that seems fine with them. The world reciprocates and it's somehow a problem. Again, good on the Swiss. It has a huge immigrant population but is at the top for medium wealth. 

Powell was a realist, not a racist and he was only warning about 50k coming into the UK every year, if only that were still true!

3 hours ago, genericptr said:

The English speaking world is especially keen on becoming a minority in their own countries all the while decrying how terrible it is being a minority. How is this not the same collective madness that Enoch Powell spoke of? I think he was on to something.

Switzerland isn’t part of the ‘English speaking g world’, even if many Swiss speak better English than most Brits.

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

English speaking g world

In this context the phrase is used by racists to mean white - it doesn't occur to them that language has no color

6 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Powell was a realist, not a racist and he was only warning about 50k coming into the UK every year, if only that were still true!

nothing Powell spoke about has happened.

Why is is that racists spend so much time denying what they say is racist.

They'll be saying "some of my best friends are...." next or 

"My wife is coloured" so that makes me not racist...

they see the world in cliches.

Basically they're just ignorant and frightened.

Most of the Swiss on the other hand recognise the benefits of immigration and the EU.

10 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Well done Switzerland, always good to see a country reject notions based in prejudice. 

 

9 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

QED - This thread is about the Swiss referendum but it has thrown up some of the most stupid posts of the year.

 

9 hours ago, pegman said:

Well done Swiss. You are one of the wealthiest of country's and you will continue to be so. UK not so much.

Indeed.

 

Maybe this is one of the growing number of lights at the end of the tunnel. The vile spread of populism, rooted in fear, hatred, envy, xenophobia, and ignorance, could be beginning to run out of steam. It has done enough damage to decent civilised values in our world already. 

 

The Swiss are generally intelligent people, who are fairly well informed. I know the country well as I have 7 cousins there. They are well aware that immigrants are doing jobs that they might not wish to do themselves, but are important for the smooth running of the country all the same. 

 

Critically they know the huge benefit that they derive from open EU trade. If only some other countries were half a bright. 

The best (the worst) is yet to come. The current "Rahmenvertrag" with the EU will not be accepted by the Swiss Voters. Too many infringements concerning souvereighnity of Switzerland. Will have to be re-negotiated with the EU.

 

Swtzerland is not anti-foreighners. But with a 24% quote of "foreighners" the upper limit has been reached.

If the re-negotiations with the EU should fail, many Swiss-Voters will surely take an increased interest in how the "Brexit" unfolds.

 

Especially if the "Brexit" will not catapult the UK back into some sort of economical Stone-Age. We shall see, but the "Swissies" are closely watching the historical event that is called "Brexit".

12 minutes ago, Nigel Garvie said:

 

 

Indeed.

 

Maybe this is one of the growing number of lights at the end of the tunnel. The vile spread of populism, rooted in fear, hatred, envy, xenophobia, and ignorance, could be beginning to run out of steam. It has done enough damage to decent civilised values in our world already. 

 

The Swiss are generally intelligent people, who are fairly well informed. I know the country well as I have 7 cousins there. They are well aware that immigrants are doing jobs that they might not wish to do themselves, but are important for the smooth running of the country all the same. 

 

Critically they know the huge benefit that they derive from open EU trade. If only some other countries were half a bright. 

Ah out the woodwork they come again ! Taking control of your country's laws,trading freedom and who enters a country is deemed ' xenophobia fear hatred and envy ' ! This is what those who never accept a decision they don't agree resort ! Nauseating