While most Swiss ministers are convinced that an overarching agreement with the European Union would not stand a chance if put to a vote, a new poll suggests a strong majority would support it.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Español
es
La mayoría de los suizos apoya el acuerdo marco con la UE, según una encuesta
The survey conducted by the research institute gfs.bern found that 64% of 2,000 people questioned were in favour of a comprehensive deal with the EU. About a third were opposed (32%).
“This shows the considerable potential of the institutional agreement at the ballot box, i.e. two thirds of voters,” says René Buholzer, director of the umbrella organisation Interpharma, which commissioned the survey.
The finding runs contrary to recent, defeatist statements by government ministers who believe such a deal would not survive a popular vote, notes French-language newspaper Le Temps in its Sunday edition.
“We must have the intellectual honesty to say that in its current form, the draft agreement would not find a popular majority,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told German-language newspaper Aargauer Zeitung on April 30. In remarks to French-language daily Tribune de Genève, he said a popular rejection would be “harder than a governmental no”.
Swiss-EU economic ties are currently government by more than 100 bilateral agreements. Brussels wants to restructure relations in exchange for continued access to the EU single market.
Critics of the EU framework agreement typically stress that it would lead to “an unacceptable loss of sovereignty”. The survey, however, showed that weakening wage protection was the dominant concern for opponents.
The poll found that supporters want to prevent the export industry from being deprived of access to the European single market, the bilateral route from becoming less relevant and investors losing the capacity to plan in a stable environment.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
This content was published on
The chances of an agreement on future ties between Switzerland and the European Union range from “less likely than ever” to “brace for impact”.
No ‘status quo’ without Swiss-EU framework deal, EU envoy warns
This content was published on
EU Ambassador Petros Mavromichalis warns there will be no new deals on access to the EU single market and that expiring agreements will not be renewed. “It is the chronicle of a death foretold,” he told French-language newspaper Le Temps in an interview published Saturday. Switzerland can certainly reject the institutional agreement, the ambassador points…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.