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EUROPEAN UNION

Just one in five Swiss back crucial deal on relations with EU

Only 20 percent of Swiss voters are in favour of their government signing a major draft deal on the future of bilateral relations with the European Union in its current form, a new poll shows.

Published: 27 May 2019 09:25 CEST
Just one in five Swiss back crucial deal on relations with EU
The EU says the draft draft deal is non-negotiable. File photo: Depositphotos

A further 26 percent want no deal at all, according to the representative survey run by the country’s Tamedia group in mid-May.

Meanwhile, 41 percent of voters would prefer to see the Swiss government go back to the negotiating table and win a better deal for Switzerland.

Read also: What you need to know about the draft Swiss–EU deal

Of the group who support new talks, 32 percent said Switzerland’s top priority should be fine tuning the agreement to ensure Swiss wages are better protected against competition from cheaper workers from EU countries.

And 27 percent believe the focus of any new talks should be on getting a guarantee from the EU that Switzerland will not have adopt the EU’s Citizen’s Rights Directive – a move that would most likely lead to higher welfare payments for Swiss-based EU citizens.

The draft Swiss–EU deal (here in French) has been on the table since last November and is the result of years of negotiations designed to update and streamline relations between Bern and Brussels.  These relations are currently based on around 20 main agreements and 100 secondary agreements.

Read also: Swiss government unveils new measures favouring Switzerland-based workers

For Switzerland, keeping Brussels on side is crucial to ensure it continues to have access to the all-important EU Common Market.

The EU has repeatedly stated that the draft deal is non-negotiable and has threatened sanctions – including barring Switzerland’s stock exchange from trading EU company shares – if Switzerland doesn’t sign on by the end of June.

But the Swiss government has so far stood firm in the face of EU pressure to get the deal done and dusted, arguing it needs more time to consult internally given a domestic context of extreme scepticism in the face of all things EU.

Hopes in Brussels that Switzerland might soon sign the deal were dealt a blow on Sunday when Economy Minister Guy Parmelin said new talks were necessary.

“We have listened to all the important players: business, unions, parties, cantons and experts. The government knows there is no majority support for the text as it currently reads,” he told Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick.

According to the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, current discussions within the Swiss government are not about whether new talks should go ahead, but about when and how.

Read also: Switzerland votes to tighten gun laws, safeguard EU relations

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IMMIGRATION

Why is Switzerland spending 300 million francs to protect Schengen borders?

From August 1st, 2024, Switzerland will contribute financially to the European effort to strengthen the protection of the Schengen area’s external borders.

Published: 24 July 2024 14:15 CEST
Updated: 31 July 2024 14:08 CEST
Why is Switzerland spending 300 million francs to protect Schengen borders?

Though Switzerland is not a member of the EU, it does belong to the Schengen area — not only benefitting from the access to Europe’s borderless zone, but also participating in its funding.

Financial support is especially needed in Schengen countries with particularly extensive land and sea borders or major international airports on their territories, because they bear a heavy financial burden of securing the zone’s external borders, for the benefit of all the other members.

How will Switzerland’s 300-million-franc contribution be used?

Over the period of next seven years, it will go toward the programme called Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVl), which is part of the fund that ensures efficient management of EU’s borders.

The EU already allocated 6.24 billion euros to the BMVI for a seven-year period, and 300 million francs is Switzerland’s share.

Specifically, those funds will be used towards improving external border controls, investing in common large-scale IT systems in the area of borders management and visa policy, funding infrastructure and equipment, and deployment of immigration liaison officers, among other tasks.

Why is Switzerland contributing 300 million francs?

The BMVl’s goal is to “improve the protection of the external borders of the Schengen area and, therefore, to increase the effectiveness of border controls and prevent illegal immigration,” the Federal Council said. 

This, along with effective and integrated management of the external borders “is also in Switzerland’s interest.”

Also, Switzerland will likely receive grants from the BMVl of around 50 million francs to be allocated mainly to the establishment of new EU information systems (EES Entry and Exit System, and European Travel Information and Authorization System ETIAS) on its territory.

Furthermore, it is planned to use part of these resources to finance the expansion of the border control infrastructure at Zurich Airport.

Benefits for Switzerland

There is no doubt that Swiss citizens benefit greatly from access to the Schengen zone.

Simply put, it allows anyone who is in Switzerland legally to enjoy hassle-free travel to and from the 26 other Schengen states, visa time limits permitting.

Travellers arriving into Switzerland for the first time from a non-Schengen state like the UK or the US will have to queue up to have their passports checked, but after that they can move freely.

That means Swiss citizens, EU nationals, non-EU international residents in Switzerland, tourists, exchange students or people travelling for business can travel on to another Schengen member state, perhaps neighbouring France or Germany by car or train, without having to show their passports. (Although occasionally checks are brought back.) 

That is a definite ‘plus’ for anyone who travels within Europe. Due to Switzerland having so many land borders with other Schengen countries it would have been hugely problematic not to join.
 

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