Cluster: Democracy

Blocher downplays quota impact on business

This content was published on Feb 14, 2014 In a syndicated interview in Friday’s Tages-Anzeiger and Der Bund newspapers Swiss People’s Party strongman Christoph Blocher said conditions for businesses in Switzerland have remained stable following Sunday’s shock decision by voters to curb immigration and re-impose quotas for workers from the European Union – Switzerland’s main trading partner. “Fundamentally nothing has changed,” he said.…

Democracy

‘The Swiss are resisting pro-Europe policies’

This content was published on Feb 13, 2014 The approval of the initiative “Against mass immigration” has moved people on either side of the Swiss border. Some reactions accuse the Swiss of cherry picking and populism; others congratulated them. Was February 9, 2014, a good or bad day for direct democracy? For Professor Wolf Linder, former director of the Institute for Political Science…

Democracy

Cartoonists unimpressed by immigration vote

This content was published on Feb 13, 2014 n their editorials, Swiss newspapers pointed to the historical significance and the uncertainty triggered by the result on February 9. Reactions varied from calling it a “worst case scenario” to a “victory”. Most papers drew a comparison with the vote in 1992, when the Swiss narrowly rejected membership of the European Economic Area, the European…

Democracy

Cabinet calls for calm after immigration vote

This content was published on Feb 12, 2014 He said many questions remained open just three days after the ballot. In a bid to halt speculation and allay public concerns, Burkhalter acknowledged the situation was difficult for the government, but he warned against over-reacting in any way. “The reaction of the EU is hardly a surprise, the risk of a yes-vote to the…

Democracy

Ticino says ‘basta!’ to cross-border workers

This content was published on Feb 12, 2014 Italian-speaking Ticino, which extends into the Italian Lombardy region like a wedge, approved the rightwing Swiss People’s Party’s initiative against EU immigration on Sunday with the highest percentage of yes votes of any canton. Precisely 68.3% of voters gave the nod to re-introducing quotas for foreign workers. “Free movement of people with the EU? Basta!”…

Democracy

Swiss immigration vote spreads ‘hope’ in Britain

This content was published on Feb 12, 2014 The UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Eurosceptic Conservatives are pointing to the Swiss relationship with Europe to argue that Britain could also set its own quotas if it too were out of the EU. “The Swiss people have taken advantage of their position outside the European Union to set their own immigration rules in their…

Democracy

Jobs fears sparked by immigration vote

This content was published on Feb 11, 2014 The Trade Union Federation fears a major hit to the workforce if the EU retaliates by tearing up other bilateral agreements. Credit Suisse bank estimates 80,000 fewer jobs will be created in the next three years as the “poison” of uncertainty forces firms to put the brakes on investment in Switzerland. The bank says that…

Democracy

Will the EU give Switzerland the cold shoulder?

This content was published on Feb 11, 2014 “This will clearly have implications for the rest of the agreements we have with Switzerland,” said European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde shortly after Sunday’s vote. Representatives of the EU member states are set to decide on Thursday whether to proceed with talks about an institutional accord with Switzerland. For the time being, the EU’s diplomatic…

Democracy

Economics minister: ‘We misjudged it’

This content was published on Feb 10, 2014 “I was actually confident,” he told the Eco news programme on Swiss public television, SRF, on Monday. “I said to myself that this affects the entire country – directly or indirectly it affects every workplace. Therefore the Swiss will consider particularly carefully whether there should be a new system or not.” As it turned out,…

Democracy

Newspapers stress significance of immigration vote

This content was published on Feb 10, 2014 Most papers draw a comparison with the vote in 1992, when the Swiss people narrowly rejected membership of the European Economic Area, the predecessor of the European Union. The business-friendly Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes that the decision is “much more than a political slap in the face”, calling it a “watershed” comparable to that of…

Cluster: Democracy

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Cluster: Democracy

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Blocher downplays quota impact on business

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‘The Swiss are resisting pro-Europe policies’

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Cartoonists unimpressed by immigration vote

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Cabinet calls for calm after immigration vote

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Ticino says ‘basta!’ to cross-border workers

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Swiss immigration vote spreads ‘hope’ in Britain

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Jobs fears sparked by immigration vote

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Will the EU give Switzerland the cold shoulder?

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Economics minister: ‘We misjudged it’

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Newspapers stress significance of immigration vote

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