
Swiss Government Plans Referendum on Contentious EU Deal
(Bloomberg) — The Swiss government plans to hold a referendum on its new deal with the European Union, proposing a type of vote that should increase the chances that the deeply polarizing agreement will pass.
Brussels and Bern agreed on an accord in December to ensure Switzerland’s access to the single market and to stabilize relations with the bloc, which is the country’s biggest trading partner. That announcement came more than three years after Switzerland made the shock decision to walk away from a previous series of talks.
The government will propose to parliament that a so-called optional referendum be held, it said in a statement Wednesday. That means the deal would only need a majority of voters to pass, and not also the support of a majority of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, as would be the case in a mandatory referendum.
Opponents of the deal have lobbied against this format, and the latest news triggered swift reaction from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.
“With this course of action, the government is going against Swiss democracy,” it said.
The final decision on the nature of the vote rests with lawmakers.
Even just to get a majority of votes, the government will be battling against entrenched positions. Opponents have warned that closer EU ties will undermine Swiss sovereignty and the country’s ability to control immigration. In a bid to allay some of those concerns, Switzerland secured an amended safeguard clause on the issue of immigration as part of the 2024 agreement.
Addressing reporters in Bern, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stressed that the deal is a “strategic necessity for Switzerland.”
“In a tense environment, stable and reliable relations with our neighboring countries and thus with the EU are essential to ensure our security, our independence and our prosperity,” he said.
The government also said that it will split up the deal into four separate decrees, taking a further step to increase the deal’s chances in a plebiscite. The bills — which will be voted separately — are:
- one concerning the stabilization of bilateral relations
- three regarding further developments on food safety, electricity and health
If one of the three more specific bills fails, the overarching one can still enter into force, Michael Schöll, head of the Federal Office of Justice, told reporters.
(Updates with additional details, reaction from the SVP political party)
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