During the autumn session of the Parliament that lasted from September 14th until October 2nd, Swiss deputies had approved a number of key motions.
Here are some of the decisions they made:
‘Immigration tax’
Lawmakers have approved the idea of imposing a 4,000-franc tax on EU nationals who settle in the country.
The idea behind this move is that new immigrants benefit from Switzerland’s public infrastructure and services without having contributed to their funding, so they should pay for using it.
The Federal Council also said it favours this tax “the revenue from which would be redistributed to the population and the economy.”
READ MORE: Switzerland’s Council of States to push forward with 4,000-franc ‘immigration tax’
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University tuition for foreign nationals
During its deliberations about the new package of agreements between Switzerland and the European Union, deputies decided that EU students enrolled at the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich and Lausanne must receive the same treatment as Swiss students regarding tuition fees.
Under the terms of the agreement with Brussels, Swiss students will also benefit from equal treatment, in terms of fees, when studying in an EU country.
READ MORE: Lawmakers back equal tuition fees for Swiss and EU students at two major universities
Penalties for companies that hire foreigners instead of locals
Concretely, deputies said that local applicants must be prioritised over individuals from non-EU/EFTA states.
Under the plan, employers could face sanctions if they refuse to hire a person deemed suitable by the Regional Employment Centre (ORP), offering the job instead to applicants “not considered part of the Swiss labour market.”
This category includes Swiss citizens, EU/EFTA nationals, as well as people from third countries who are already integrated into Switzerland’s labour market under the B or C permit.
READ MORE: Swiss MPs want to penalise companies which snub Switzerland-based candidates
Deputies rejected a bid for a simplified naturalisation procedure
The initiative in question proposes that a right to Swiss citizenship be granted after just five years of legal residence in Switzerland, reducing it from the current ten-year threshold.
This decision means that members of the Parliament will urge voters to turn down this initiative when it comes to the ballot box on a as yet undetermined date.
READ MORE: Swiss parliament rejects move for simplified citizenship process
EU referendum
As the acceptance (or not) of the new package of agreements negotiated between Bern and Brussels must be approved by Swiss voters before going into effect, deputies had to decide whether this issue should be put to an optional or mandatory referendum – that is. whether it should require approval by majority of voters only, or by majority of voters AND cantons.
They opted for the latter one, because the issue at stake is “so fundamental that a simple popular majority would not suffice.”
Also, an optional referendum would mean that the “participatory rights of the cantons would be curtailed.”
And as Petra Gössi from the Liberal-Radical Party, pointed out, “the package of agreements affects the cantons directly. They should therefore have a say in the decision.”
Furthermore, a “double majority would result in greater legitimacy and stronger public confidence” in the results, Gössi added.
Recommendation of a ‘no’ vote on an initiative for shorter wait time for Swiss citizenship.
What will happen to these issues next?
The ones that had been approved by only one chamber of the Parliament will have to be accepted by the other as well during the next session of the Parliament – November 30th until December 18th – before the proposed legislation can be drafted.
They will then be put to a referendum.
