In their bid to limit immigration from the European Union, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has spelled out what steps should be taken to achieve this goal. But many ‘unknowns’ still remain.
In a nutshell, the initiative ‘No to 10 million’ aims to drastically reduce the influx of foreigners to Switzerland, so that the country’s population doesn’t exceed the 10-million mark, which the populist party says will overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
More specifically, the proposal stipulates that “Switzerland’s permanent resident population must not exceed ten million people before 2050. From 2050 onwards, the Federal Council may adjust this limit annually.”
Currently, the country’s population stands at just over 9 million, including nearly 2.5 million foreign nationals – that is, over 27 percent of the population.
To achieve this goal, both the federal government and the cantons must “ensure sustainable population development, in particular with a view to protecting the environment and in the interest of the sustainable conservation of natural resources, the performance of infrastructure, healthcare, and Swiss social security.”
READ ALSO: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
This is what we know, but answers to some aspects of this proposal remain elusive.
These are some of the ‘unknowns’:
If the initiative is approved in a referendum on November 29th, what will happen to bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU?
Nationals of the European Union, along with those from EFTA (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) have a free access to Switzerland’s labour market under the terms of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP).
One big open question is: what will happen to the AFMP if voters accept the initiative?
The SVP says Bern will have to re-negotiate the agreement accordingly. However, it is not at all certain that Brussels will want to amend the AFMP’s terms and may even want to cancel this, and possibly other agreements, altogether.
To say that this would be detrimental to Switzerland’s economy and prosperity would be an understatement – the country cannot function effectively without foreign workers, both skilled and unskilled, especially in healthcare, construction, and service industries.
According to business association Economiesuisse, “in order to continue creating wealth, Switzerland will need foreign workers.”
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What would happen to immigrants from third countries?
The proposal targets specifically EU/EFTA citizens, since they constitute the vast majority of foreign workforce in Switzerland.
The initiative doesn’t, however, address the issue of whether people from third countries will be subject to the same restrictions.
Even the SVP itself doesn’t know how this group of foreigners will be handled and what, if any, restrictions will be imposed on them.
In an interview with The Local in 2025, an SVP deputy Yvan Pahud, one of the initiative’s instigators, said that “it is too early at this stage to answer this question, as the Federal Council and Parliament will have to finalise the details. They can either eliminate the preference for EU countries or maintain a preference based on agreements that can be reached with the EU.”
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Will the new law incite discrimination against foreigners who are already in Switzerland?
It very well may.
The Zurich branch of the SVP has collected enough signatures for its popular initiative, “Right to a Homeland – Housing for Our People,” to be brought to the ballot box.
This move is an offshoot of the ‘No to 10 million” initiative, in a sense that it states that, once this population threshold is met, landlords would be required to give preference to “Swiss citizens and people who have lived in Zurich for at least ten years” when allocating apartments.
Does this mean that newly arrived foreigners would not have access to housing?
This too remains to be seen.
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Last but not least: when would this law be implemented?
Assuming that the majority of voters say ‘yes’ to this initiative – and right now it looks as though they might – the timing of its future implementation is a big question.
Even if the Federal Council moves quickly, it will take at least two years before the law goes into effect – but likely longer, given the lengthy negotiation process with the EU and other legal procedures that the government will have to undertake.
Do you have any questions relating to this initiative? Let us know in the comments section below and we will answer them.
