Swiss Government Rejects Initiative for Systematic Border Checks

(Bloomberg) — Switzerland’s government rejected a right-wing initiative seeking systematic checks on everyone entering the country and capping asylum approvals at 5,000 per year.

Officials said the plan would be expensive and put the country’s membership in the borderless Schengen bloc at risk, according to a statement on Friday.

Leaving the bloc could cost Switzerland as much as 16 billion francs ($19 billion) per year because checks would cause traffic jams and more border agents would be needed, the government said in a separate report.

Campaigners from the Swiss People’s Party collected more than 100,000 signatures for the proposal, enough to trigger a national plebiscite. Unless campaigners withdraw the initiative, Switzerland will hold a vote within the next few years.

Separately, voters are also set to get a say on Switzerland’s new accords with the European Union, a deal that’s been controversial as it requires reaffirming the EU principle of free movement of people.

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