Swiss Review 2/2020

Swiss Review / April 2020 / No.2 10 Politics THEODORA PETER The aimof the SVP’s popular initiative, “For moderate im- migration”, is for Switzerland to have full control over im- migration. This is something that “any independent and economically successful country should take as a given”, according to the SVP, which believes that “mass” immi- gration is pushing Swiss out of the job market, reducing living space and putting a strain on social security. If the SVP initiative is successful, Switzerland will ei- ther have to renegotiate or terminate the Swiss-EU agree- ment on the free movement of persons. An end to free movement would result in around 450 million EU citi- zens losing the right to live and work in Switzerland with- out any formal restrictions. But, in turn, it would also af- fect Swiss who want to live and work in the EU. The SVP launched the initiative in 2018 in reaction to what they view as the non-implementation of the “Stop mass immigration” initiative, which saw 50.3 per cent voting in February 2014 to introduce immigration curbs and quotas. Parliament found it hard to agree to anything other than a watered-down version of the 2014 initiative, because implementing it to the letter and restricting im- migration is legally at odds with the bilateral agreements. In the end, parliament merely agreed on an arrangement that obliges employers to advertise vacant positions to job centres and invite Swiss job seekers for interview. The SVP accused parliament of violating the constitution. Crucial question on Europe How should Switzerland fundamentally interact with the EU? This was and still is the key question. In both 2000 and 2009, voters decisively put their weight behind the bilateral agreements with the EU. With its latest attack on free movement, the SVP is politically isolated. All the other political parties including industry groups have called it the “termination initiative” and warned that adopting it would jeopardise the bilateral relationship be- tween Switzerland and the EU. This is down to a “guillo- tine clause” stipulating that if just one agreement is not Showdown over the bilateral agreements Should Switzerland abandon the Swiss-EU agreement on the free movement of persons? It should, according to an SVP initiative that will be put to the people on 17 May. The outcome of this vote will decide the future direction of Swiss-EU relations. EU commissioner Jo- hannes Hahn (left) and Federal Council- lor Ignazio Cassis shake hands at the WEF in Davos. After their meeting, Cassis said that the EU was very understanding of the Swiss govern- ment’s wait-and-see stance. Photo: Keystone