Key takeaways
- The SVP has proposed a population cap of 10 million, straining infrastructure as Switzerland heads towards the June 14 vote.
- Tamedia found 52% favored the law, signaling changes in the labor market ahead of Switzerland’s June 14 vote.
- Economiesuisse’s Pascal Wüthrich warns that the cap will block ties with the EU, threatening the prosperity of the Swiss market by 2050.
Switzerland to vote on population capping measure
As immigration has become an important issue for European countries, governments have sought measures to limit its effects on local economies.
An initiative pushed by the SVP, a right-wing organization, proposes to directly solve this problem by setting a population limit enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
Described as a “sustainable demographic development” amendment, if approved, it will amend Article 73a of the Swiss Constitution as follows:
“The permanent resident population of Switzerland must not exceed ten million inhabitants before 2050. From 2050, the Federal Council may adapt this limit each year by ordinance to take into account the excess of births over deaths. The Confederation ensures that this limit is respected.”
Additionally, it would give the federal government the power to “take measures in favor of the sustainable development of the population, in particular to protect the environment and in the interest of the long-term preservation of natural resources, the efficiency of infrastructure, health care and Swiss social security.”
Although controversial, the initiative appears to enjoy the support of a considerable part of the Swiss population. By 2025, the SVP says 180,000 immigrants will have arrived in the country, worsening the housing shortage and straining the country’s welfare infrastructure.
According to a poll carried out in April by the Tamedia media group and the Leewas polling institute, 52% of the 16,176 citizens questioned were in favor of this measure, 46% were opposed and 2% were undecided.
If adopted, the measure would be the first of its kind in the world and could set a precedent for other countries to apply similar restrictions to protect their integrity.
However, the proposal has also sparked opposition from business groups like Economiesuisse, which calls it “chaos initiative”. Pascal Wüthrich, foreign trade project manager at Economiesuisse, points out that the cap would put Switzerland on a collision course with the EU, as it would go against the agreement on the free movement of people and restrict family reunification.
“A break with Europe would have far-reaching consequences. Cooperation in key areas would be blocked for years. The initiative would thus directly endanger Switzerland’s prosperity and security, because the EU is by far our most important trade and security partner.” he pointed out.
The referendum will take place on June 14.
