Becci Fobbe
UCR Class of 2016
On February 9th, 2014, the Swiss people voted for a new initiative, causing the 
European Union to panic. To place this law into context, it is important to know that in Switzerland laws can be created by the people. The process starts with an initiative, which is a petition that has received 100,000 eligible voters’ signatures within 18 months. It then moves to a referendum, which is where the eligible Swiss get to vote on the initiative, which if passed, amends the constitution or create new legislation.
In this specific case, the nationalist, conservative, right-wing “Swiss People‘s Party” (SVP) started an initiative known as the “Einwanderungsinitiative“(“immigration initiative“), which put simply changes the Swiss constitution with the provisions that Switzerland would have to: regulate immigration itself, regulate the amount of residence permits given to foreigners with annual contingents and quotas, include asylum seekers in these numbers, grant work permits based on their benefit to the Swiss economy and people, and not sign international treaties (law) that would violate these new principles.
After 50.3% of all Swiss voters decided in the affirmative, the SVP initiative became law. The SVP has now claimed that based on the success of the initiative, Switzerland has made its desire to rescind on EU obligations and trade clear. Many EU member states have reacted to the vote, some stating they “support their sovereignty“ and others that “you [Switzerland] can‘t just take and not give“. One newspaper even captioned the referendum coverage with the heading “F*** the EU“.
Besides the immediate political responses, this decision could have a number of consequences. Firstly, it is unclear how the contingents and quota set by the law will be measured, and how this translates into the amount of immigrants allowed per year.
The biggest concern held by those who oppose referendum is how the law will affect the Swiss economy, as the country has important trade ties with EU countries. In response to the negative consequences the law would have on the EU, EU insiders have already mentioned that Switzerland will be excluded from research programs such as “Horizon 2020“ and that the Erasmus program will be ended. These programs are only of minor relevance, as the European Union was in the middle of negotiations with the Swiss Confederation regarding general trade agreement with the EU. The EU wanted to bind Switzerland with more commitments to the EU, in exchange for granting the country access to the European Union‘s electricity market.
With the above mentioned consequences and the potential for more, what motivation would Switzerland possess to implement such an initiative?
The answer could be simple. Switzerland has been facing problems that have arisen as a result of the high immigration rate. More than twenty percent of the country is foreigners, which is a high number compared to other Western European countries. But is it just xenophobia and the fear of foreign influence that had motivated the Swiss population? Or is their reaction justified because of other, more serious problems? It is difficult to determine the cause; however, there are many facts that have remained clear. Statistics suggest that many of the people that immigrate to Switzerland are in fact from Western European countries and qualified employees for high job positions, positively affecting the economy. Still, Switzerland feels threatened by the increased flow of immigrants, which may be a result of the increased visibility of immigrants from non-Western countries.
Ultimately, the EU has not decided on sanctions and Switzerland itself has not decided how the law will be implemented. The immediate predictions of negative consequences may be false, and Switzerland will remain known for its chocolate, mountains and watches, not its restrictive immigration policies.
Rebecca Fobbe, Class of 2016, is a Politics and Law major from Büdingen, Germany.
