Final countdown to Schengen vote begins
The campaign ahead of the ballot on the Schengen/Dublin treaties on closer ties with the European Union on security and asylum has entered its final phase.
Those for and against have started their final push before next Sunday’s nationwide vote.
One issue that provoked strong reactions in the weekend press was the latest series of controversial posters launched last week by the “no” camp, which is headed by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party and the isolationist Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland.
These show pictures of EU commissioners and declare that they would be making decisions for Switzerland if the vote went through.
A committee called “Swiss economy for the bilateral accords” – which includes the chairmen of Switzerland’s two largest banks UBS and Credit Suisse, Marcel Ospel and Walter Kielholz – has taken a stand against the posters.
It took out its own newspaper adverts on Saturday, saying that the assertions were “shocking” and “unfair”.
These sentiments were echoed by Ueli Forster, chairman of the Swiss Business Federation, economiesuisse. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung, Forster said that opponents of the accords were playing on people’s fears.
He added that Schengen would not speed up Swiss membership of the EU and that fears of job losses were unfounded.
Provocative
Provocative posters, slogans and publicity stunts have formed the core of the anti-Schengen campaign ahead of the vote.
The group has sent a “Trojan horse”, symbolising its fears over Schengen, around Switzerland and handed out handcuffs on the streets.
The latest opinion poll, released on May 26, showed that support for the treaties had fallen to 55 per cent, down from 62 per cent last month.
The People’s Party says it is not worried by the latest efforts of the “yes” camp.
The party’s president, Ueli Maurer, called the “Swiss economy for the bilateral accords” adverts a “panic reaction”.
Cabinet
Meanwhile, after several weeks of rumblings over whether the cabinet really supports the treaties, Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has entered the debate.
Ministers from the four-party government presented a united front in favour of the accords when they officially launched the campaign in support of Schengen/Dublin last month.
But Justice Minister and People’s Party leading light Christoph Blocher recently broke ranks and criticised the accords.
In an open letter published in Saturday’s edition of the tabloid Blick, Merz – who as a parliamentarian was sceptical about Schengen/Dublin – declared his support ahead of the vote.
He said that a series of “special rules” agreed by Switzerland with the EU had changed his mind. He added that he was convinced that Swiss sovereignty would not be compromised.
Independent Switzerland
“Schengen/Dublin is a commitment not only to a safer but also to a more economically successful and independent Switzerland,” wrote Merz.
His letter comes a few days after Swiss President Samuel Schmid – a member of the People’s Party – said he was in favour of the accords.
Support for Schengen/Dublin also came from German Interior Minister Otto Schily, who was interviewed in the SonntagsBlick.
The Schengen agreement permits free movement between signatory states by doing away with systematic checks on individuals at internal borders.
The Treaty of Dublin regulates asylum issues between EU states and streamlines the asylum process.
swissinfo with agencies
The last opinion poll ahead of the June 5 vote put support for Schengen/Dublin at 55%.
This was at 62% in April.
35% of those polled said they would vote against the accords, up from 21% last month.
Those who were undecided stood at 10%, down from 17% in April.
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