UN migration pact to be scrutinised by parliament
The Swiss government has agreed to grant parliament a say on a controversial United Nations migration pact.
“Assent to the Global Compact for Migration is in Switzerland’s interest,” said a statementExternal link published on Wednesday.
Initially the government had agreed the non-binding deal without formal consultation by parliament.
The aims set out in the pact are in line with Switzerland’s migration policy, according to the government, and would not require any action legal amendments or financial commitments.
However, parties from the political centre and the right have argued that the pact would lead to more migration, contradict Swiss law and practice as well as jeopardise Switzerland’s independence.
The so-called Global Compact provides a framework for countries with “less robust migration systems”, the government says.
More than 150 countries adopted the pact at the UN General Assembly in 2018, but Switzerland, together with 11 other nations, abstained.
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