Cantons of Western Switzerland unite to oppose immigration initiative

If approved by voters on June 14, the popular initiative would create a significant staff shortage in healthcare, education and public transport sectors, the cantons argued. Keystone-SDA

The Conference of Western Swiss Governments “strongly opposes” the "No to ten million" immigration initiative, the head of the Geneva government, Nathalie Fontanet, told the press on Monday. “This text offers no solution to the population’s problems” and would “create new ones”, she said.

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According to the conference of French-speaking cantons, the so-called “No to ten million” immigration initiative proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party violates “cantonal sovereignty” and “national solidarity”. And certain cantons, such as Jura, where the population is stagnating, would be affected, the group of cantons said.

The initiative aims to force the government to cap immigration by ensuring that the permanent resident population does not exceed ten million before 2050. If approved by voters on June 14, it would create a significant staff shortage in healthcare, education and public transport sectors, the cantons argued. Switzerland could face a shortfall of around 460,000 full-time workers by 2035.

Another argument against the initiative put forward by the Western cantons is that bilateral relations with the European Union would be threatened, including cooperation on asylum.

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Adapted from French with AI/gw

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