Immigration to Switzerland rises ahead of vote on EU free-movement deal
Immigration contributed a net 55,000 people to Switzerland’s population last year
Keystone
Net immigration to Switzerland rose again last year, ahead of a May referendum pushed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party on ending an accord with the European Union on the free movement of citizens.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Reuters/ts
Português
pt
Imigração para a Suíça aumenta antes da votação do acordo de livre circulação com a UE
Immigration contributed a net 55,000 people to Switzerland’s population last year, the State Secretariat for Migration saidExternal link on Thursday. The foreign population stood at 2.1 million at year’s end, or around a quarter of the overall 8.5 million.
Net immigration from the European Union and EFTA countries Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein increased by nearly 32,000, mostly as Romanians and Bulgarians took advantage of the full opening of the Swiss labour market for them as of June 2019.
More
More
Justice minister says limiting free movement would be ‘Swiss Brexit’
This content was published on
Combating the anti-immigration initiative from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party is currently one of her priorities, Keller-Sutter told the media on Friday. The bilateral path taken by non-EU Switzerland means prosperity and jobs, she said. “860,000 jobs in Switzerland depend on it.” An acceptance of the initiative would be “the Swiss Brexit”, Keller-Sutter said, referring…
The biggest groups of EU citizens living in Switzerland are from Italy, Germany, France, Portugal and Kosovo.
In a binding referendum on May 17, voters will decide whether Switzerland should take back unilateral control of immigration, if necessary at the cost of abrogating the free-movement pact with the EU that took full effect in 2007.
The referendum under the Swiss system of direct democracy is being billed as Switzerland’s “Brexit moment”.
Imposing limits
The referendum drive reflects unease with the influx of foreigners. But imposing limits on EU citizens would violate bilateral accords that enhance Swiss access to the EU single market, the lifeblood of the export-led Swiss economy.
Campaigning to oppose the proposition in the referendum is a priority for the Swiss government, which has struggled to put relations with the surrounding EU on a new footing.
Brussels wants the Swiss to endorse a new treaty that would have Bern routinely adopt single market rules and create a more effective platform to resolve disputes.
The Swiss government has dragged its feet for months while it tries to forge domestic consensus on how to proceed, annoying Brussels and triggering a row over cross-border stock trading. The May vote has put any progress on hold.
The treaty ran aground amid opposition that spanned the normally pro-Europe centre left to the anti-EU far right. Critics say the pact infringes Swiss sovereignty to the extent that it would never get through parliament or pass a referendum.
More
More
Switzerland could ‘lack 700,000 workers’ in decade’s time
This content was published on
Swiss Employers’ Association warns country is facing a shortage of 700,000 workers in ten years’ time and that immigration was key to plug the gap.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
This content was published on
The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.
Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
This content was published on
This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.
This content was published on
After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.
This content was published on
The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.
Swiss authorities detail progress on station access for people with reduced mobility
This content was published on
The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) said on Wednesday that 43 stations had been adapted for people with reduced mobility last year. The vast majority of rail travellers (82%) now benefit from easier access to stations, it says.
This content was published on
The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.
Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer
This content was published on
Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.
Zurich police arrest 38 football and hockey fans after violent incidents
This content was published on
Zurich police have investigated 48 cases of fan violence at stadiums in the Swiss city since last autumn and arrested a total of 38 people, Swiss public television, SRF, reports.
Cashflow problems affect UN Human Rights Council activities
This content was published on
Certain activities of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council cannot be carried out in 2025-2026 due of the ongoing cash crisis affecting the UN.
Plaintiffs take Khaled Nezzar case to European Court of Human Rights
This content was published on
Two plaintiffs in a serious war crimes case against former Algerian Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
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.
Read more
More
Parliament votes against anti-immigration plans
This content was published on
Switzerland’s House of Representatives has come out strongly against an initiative by the Swiss People’s Party to limit immigration.
This content was published on
The number of immigrants in Switzerland without a legal residence permit has continued to drop over the past few years, according to the Swiss Border Guards.
Initiative to stop free movement with EU takes next step
This content was published on
Campaigners seeking to end Switzerland’s free movement of people agreement with the EU have handed in signatures in Bern.
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.