Government splits EU votes

The Swiss will probably vote twice on European-related issues this year Keystone

The Swiss cabinet has decided to split controversial votes on bilateral agreements with the European Union.

The government said it wanted to avoid any confusion by holding the votes on security and asylum and on access to the Swiss labour market at different times.

The Swiss electorate will have the final word on the Schengen/Dublin agreement with the EU on June 5 if opponents manage to collect enough signatures to force a vote.

A second ballot on the extension of an existing bilateral accord on the free movement of people to the ten new EU member states would take place on September 25.

In a statement on Wednesday, the cabinet said it had decided to separate the two votes to avoid any confusion about the issues and help citizens make up their minds.

Crime and asylum

Led by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, a committee is trying to challenge the Schengen/Dublin accords, which were approved by the government and parliament last year.

The committee says that if border checks are eliminated, criminals and illegal immigrants will find it easier to enter Switzerland.

It also argues that any agreement with Brussels is tantamount to back-door EU membership for Switzerland.

Supporters of the accord say that it will help improve security by providing access to European crime and asylum databases, and that reducing systematic border checks will make little difference.

More time

The government said it was delaying the vote on labour-market access to give the authorities more time to examine the effects of the existing bilateral accord on the free movement of people.

In June 2004 barriers restricting access to the Swiss labour market for citizens of the older EU member states were lifted.

Since then, complaints about wage dumping have prompted accusations from unions and the Left that companies are putting downward pressure on salaries.

The government has promised to increase surveillance of workplace practices, but it wants to see how effective its measures are before letting voters have their say at the ballot box.

Two different committees are fighting the extension of the accord. One is led by the far-right Swiss Democrats, the other by leftwing groups.

Criticism

People’s Party president Ueli Maurer denounced Wednesday’s decision by the authorities to split the two votes, saying that the government was manipulating democracy.

Maurer added that he was confident that voters would understand that the cabinet was trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

The three other main governing parties – the centre-right Radicals and Christian Democrats, and the centre-left Social Democrats – all said they were satisfied with the government’s decision.

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

The Swiss will only vote on Schengen/Dublin and on the free movement of people if the different committees collect 50,000 signatures to trigger referendums.
Schengen/Dublin is opposed by the People’s Party as well as the isolationist Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (CINS).
The extension of the Swiss labour market to the ten new EU member states is opposed by the Swiss Democrats, with support from the People’s Party and a leftwing committee.