Most Swiss Abroad citizens live in neighbouring France, Germany and Italy.
Keystone / Alessandro Crinari
The Swiss Abroad community opposes an initiative of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) seeking to curb immigration from the European Union into Switzerland.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ds
The SVP initiative, which reflects worries among some Swiss about immigration in general, demands that the government scrap the freedom of movement agreement with the EU within a year.
Accepting such an initiative would be disastrous for Switzerland and the 460,000 Swiss citizens who live in the EU, the Congress of the Swiss Abroad said on Friday.
The freedom of movement agreement between Switzerland and the EU allows Swiss citizens to work and settle in any country of the bloc, noted the organisation.
Restricting these rights would hamper the mobility of all Swiss and damage Switzerland as a business destination, it added.
For Swiss people abroad, geographical and occupational mobility, the coordination of social security systems and the right to remain in the EU after finishing their professional activity are essential.
In total, there were 770,900 registered expatriate Swiss in 2019. Most Swiss Abroad citizens live in Europe, notably in neighbouring France, Germany and Italy.
The Swiss will vote on the SVP initiative on September 27, the first nationwide vote since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland is Europe’s most innovative country, EU study finds
This content was published on
In the European Commission's annual ranking, the Swiss score dropped slightly in 2025, but not enough to cost it top spot.
Women’s Euro 2025 has been largely peaceful so far
This content was published on
After two weeks of football fever in various Swiss host cities, no major incidents have been reported so far, police say.
Planned solar park at Bern airport scaled back after talks
This content was published on
The ground-mounted plant at Belpmoos Airport will be smaller than originally planned, the parties involved said on Tuesday.
Swiss direct democracy to resume in September with packed agenda
This content was published on
After the cancellation of the May 17 federal vote due to Covid-19, citizens will be asked to vote on five separate subjects on September 27.
This content was published on
We travelled across the United States to meet Swiss living there and find out if Swiss politics play a role in their lives.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.