As June 14th, the date for the ‘No to 10 million’ referendum is getting closer, more opponents of the initiative are coming forward, warning of the dire consequences this measure would have on Switzerland’s economy.
This week, a committee in Bern launched its campaign against the initiative, arguably one of the most controversial proposals to come to the ballot box in years.
Spearheaded by the hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the initiative seeks 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.
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.
READ MORE: What exactly does the Swiss ‘no to 10 million’ anti-immigration proposal aim to do?
The SVP is standing alone in supporting this initiative, with the other political parties, the Parliament, economists, as well as various civic groups urging the ‘no’ vote.
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Who is against this measure – and why?
The latest group to sound the alarm against the SVP proposal is a multi-party committee, which warned during a press conference on March 9th that “the initiative’s demands will put Switzerland in a dilemma within three to four years.”
While demographers expect the 9.5-million mark to be reached as early as 2031 – and the 10 million mark by 2041 – “from 2031 onwards, chaos threatens, gradually affecting all areas of life,” the committee warned.
Members of this group represent four parties from all pokitical spectrums:
Radical-Liberals (PRL) – which slightly right-of-centre
Centre Party – which, as the name suggests, is in the middle politically
Evangelical Party (EVP) – socially conservative but economically centre to centre-left
Green Liberal Party (GLP) – which is in the political centre
Another argument the group has raised is that the SVP initiative “must also be considered within the broader context of European politics. The free movement of persons is perceived by the EU as one of its most important achievements. If Switzerland deviates from this principle, it would lead to major rifts with Brussels.”
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Other opponents
In a position paper it recently published jointly with the Swiss Employers Association, the umbrella organisation for the Swiss business sector, Economiesuisse, refers to the SVP’s effort as a “Chaos Initiative.”
They claim that “without the EU/EFTA workforce that our country so desperately needs, Switzerland risks halting the development of businesses within its borders, seeing its tax revenues decline, innovation slump, and the organisation and quality of services deteriorate.”
Additionally, “without the contribution of foreign workers, the social insurance system would have financing shortfalls, which would impact the entire population, including Swiss citizens,” they point out.
READ MORE: What Swiss businesses and employers say about the anti-immigration proposal
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Members of the Parliament
While all the MPs – with the exceptions of those from the SVP – have spoken against the immigration-curbing initiative, some have been even more adamant about the damage the ‘yes’ vote would inflict on Switzerland.
For instance, deputy Jean Tschopp from the Social Democratic Party emphasised that Swiss economy “needs immigration. Accepting the initiative would further exacerbate the labour shortage in certain sectors, particularly healthcare.”
Green Party MP Raphaël Mahaïm pointed out that implementing SVP’s initiative would lead to “programmed chaos,” while Centre Party deputy Benjamin Roduit said that approval of the initiative “would lead to the termination of bilateral agreements with the EU. Breaking these agreements in the current geopolitical context would be diplomatic and economic suicide.”
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The Federal Council
All the ministers have unanimously spoken against the ’10 million’ initiative, citing a variety of reasons for this stance.
Foremost among them is that “Switzerland needs immigration and stopping it would be problematic. Without German and French workers, the Swiss healthcare system would collapse. And sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and hospitality are also particularly dependent on foreign labour.”
Beat Jans, the minister in charge of the Police and Justice Department, which is responsible for immigration, also proffered this warning: “The British have experienced what it means to leave access to the single market and free movement. And the majority of the country now regrets Brexit. We must learn from this lesson.”
READ MORE: How will you be affected if Switzerland’s anti-immigration proposal wins?
