With referendum day fast approaching, we asked readers of The Local what worries they have about Switzerland’s upcoming ‘No to 10 million’ vote. Whilst many said they were not concerned about others worried about their future in the country.
The ‘No to 10 million’ anti-immigration initiative from the hard-right Swiss People’s Party had been gaining momentum ahead of the vote on June 14th. However the latest polls suggest it may not be backed by the Swiss population.
The proposal launched by the SVP essentially seeks to cap the country’s population by drastically reducing the influx of foreigners. The populist party claims if Switzerland’s population passes 10 million it will overburden key infrastructure, such as housing, public transport, the health system, and schools.
The proposal stipulates that “Switzerland’s permanent resident population must not exceed ten million people before 2050.”
If it does Bern would be forced to break agreements with Brussels and end the free movement agreement that has allowed EU workers to move to Switzerland and vice versa.
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. Official projections say it could reach 10 million by around 2041.
We asked readers of The Local, many of them themselves immigrants in Switzerland, how worried they are, if at all, about the controversial proposal and what their main concerns are.
READ ALSO: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
How worried are you by the ‘No to 10 million’ vote in Switzerland on June 14th?
The Local received a large number of responses to our survey call out, demonstrating the salience of this proposal among our readers.
Of those votes, some 51.28 percent answered ‘Yes, I’m very worried’.
At the other end of the spectrum, 33.3 percent said, ‘No, I’m not too concerned’ about the proposal.
A small minority of 15.38 percent were undecided, saying they’re still “Somewhere in the middle”.
‘Yes, I’m very worried’
Many of our readers expressed concerns about what would happen if the 10 million proposal was passed.
One reader, Mark, explained: “Many negative unintended consequences will unfold, over time — like a live frog in a pot of water set to slow boil. It will undermine bilateral agreements with the EU for starters. Erode economic growth, labor force, AHV, et al. An over simplified and irresponsible ‘solution’ to complex policy issues,” he said.
Karen, from Richterswil, was also worried about what it might mean for Switzerland’s relationship with the EU: “Relations with the EU and kids of freedom of movement,” she noted as her main concerts.
Pedro, 50, from Basel, agreed but added that he also feared growing anti-migrant sentiment more generally: “Relationship with EU and potentially the start of a immigration discrimination wave.”
One anonymous 54-year old reader from UK living in Herrliberg stated “Yes, I am concerned that prejudice against foreigners will become worse, or that my family’s life here will be at risk”
Another anonymous reader, a 51 year old American living in Canton Zürich, explained that he had several concerns, including not only a possible anti-migrant turn in Swiss society but also potential longer-term demographic problems.
“I worry that Switzerland will be diminished by the turn towards hate. I worry that breaking away from free movement agreements will push Switzerland away from accord with the broader community,” he said.
“I worry that as I age, the population will shrink without immigration, and I will not be cared for in my old age. I worry about the lives of those refused entry into the country. I worry about the reputation of Switzerland being tarnished.”
A commenter on The Local Switzerland, resident in the country for 24 years, said a possible anti-migrant turn is nothing new: “Having paid a tonne of taxes, built businesses here and having no say on where the money is spent, this all leaves me wondering, is anyone else tired of the Swiss anti-immigrant posturing every couple of years?
“People ask why we don’t work hard to integrate and get a passport… would you in a country that makes it abundantly clear you are not trusted, wanted or welcome?”.
“Those who do get it get called “paper Swiss”… it’s such a shame for such a gorgeous country with a lot of good people that such base instincts and simplistic SVP policies keep alienating the very source of your wealth, the ingenuity, education and hard work of the majority of immigrants.”
READ ALSO: ‘No to 10 million’ – What Switzerland’s new vote to limit immigration could mean
‘No, I’m not concerned’
Not all readers of The Local are worried about the vote on June 14th, however, nor possible consequences of the ‘No to 10 million’ initiative.
In fact, many respondents supported the measure.
Graham, from Geneva, said: “Switzerland needs a revised immigration policy that preserves Swiss culture, sustainability and security first, allowing only immigrants who wish to contribute to all three. Open borders and globalism have proven to reduce each of these across Europe. Let’s take a wiser approach.”
Similarly, one anonymous reader said they are “not concerned” and to “look at the rest of Europe… Too much immigration is causing many problems.”
Tommy, 33, from Zürich, supports the idea in theory but has faith in Swiss voters to not blindly block all migration: “I’m not too concerned as I believe Swiss people know what makes sense and what doesn’t.
Tommy agreed it should be easier to deport foreign criminals but said “it would be totally nonsense to limit people with good education or skills as Switzerland needs them a lot, for example in healthcare, IT, finance…”
Another reader, Lincoln, questioned the assumption that many readers and voters make that the measure would automatically mean the end of freedom of movement.
“Everyone seems to be incredibly concerned about the consequences of withdrawing from the free movement of Europe, despite the initiative outlining it as a last resort,” he explained. “I’m wondering if it is a mathematical certainty that those measures will be triggered or if everyone’s just over-worrying”.
Another anonymous reader from Einsiedeln isn’t worried and felt that “the SVP is correct: we must protect the culture and stability of our country, otherwise it will be changed significantly by runaway immigration. We realise we live in a very special corner of the world, so let us (always) do what is necessary to protect it,” they said.
Somewhere in the middle
Other readers didn’t feel particularly strongly one way or the other, despite the polarising nature of the proposal.
Vijay, 34, from Bern, didn’t take for granted the potential consequences but did say: “If this impacts the economy, this [Switzerland] won’t be an attractive place to live and work anymore”.
Christopher, 66, a Swiss citizen living in Graubünden, felt that any negative impacts can always be voted on again and the referendum is about talking directly to the authorities.
“I think it’s more about sending a message to the government that too rapid cultural change needs to be better managed,” he explained.
“Any strongly negative effects that appear after a yes vote can easily be voted on again. I also worry that although rapid population growth through immigration does seem to bring economic benefits, the perception is that these are too thinly spread amongst the wealthy and business elites.
“The government needs to show the average Swiss family that they too benefit. Otherwise we will have a Swiss Brexit moment,” he added.
READ ALSO: ‘Striking parallels’ – Is Switzerland’s anti-immigration vote really another Brexit?
