Swiss choose cooperation over isolation

Switzerland will abandon systematic border checks by 2008, but customs controls remain Keystone

Voters were not swayed by a fear campaign by opponents who warned that a "yes" to Schengen would lead to an influx of criminals and cheap labour.

But the real test of Swiss attitudes towards closer ties with Europe will come in September with a vote on extending access to the labour market to the ten new European Union member states.

The Swiss president, Samuel Schmid, said Sunday’s result was a public endorsement of the government policy towards the EU.

He said the Schengen/Dublin accords would give police and border guards the possibilities to step up the fight against criminals and help curb the number of asylum requests.

Schmid also pledged to take into account the concerns of the opponents of closer security and asylum cooperation.

The treaties are part of a second set of bilateral treaties with the EU.

Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and Economics Minister Joseph Deiss said they were happy to see the clear result in favour of opening up to Europe.

The Swiss Business Federation, economiesuisse, said it hoped the vote would have a positive impact for the Swiss economy.

A majority of the electorate in French-speaking regions as well as in cities and towns approved the government-backed accords, while voters in rural areas of the German-speaking part and the Italian-speaking region came out against them.

Brave face

The rightwing Swiss People’s Party, which had forced a nationwide vote on the issue, said the outcome of the vote was negative for the country but a partial success for the party.

It called on the government to abandon the long-term goal of full EU membership and withdraw an application for talks with Brussels. The request was effectively frozen after Swiss voters rejected membership of the European Economic Area Treaty in 1992.

The isolationist Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (Cins) said it was now up to the government to ensure that the country’s sovereignty and security was not undermined.

Georg Lutz, a political scientist at Bern University, said opponents failed to convince voters that joining the EU’s passport-free zone was a threat for the country.

However, he said the People’s Party succeeded in mobilising its supporters and pushed voter turnout to 56 per cent.

“Even supporters of the treaties began to doubt whether they would be capable of winning a majority,” he told swissinfo.

Lutz believes the outcome of the ballot is still a setback for the People’s Party and does not bode well for the future.

“Despite their success in elections, the People’s Party has yet again failed to win a referendum.”

He expects heated debates ahead of a nationwide vote in September on opening up the Swiss labour market to the ten EU member states.

“The pressure is on for isolationist opponents to win, and the People’s Party will be at pains to present itself as a unified group,” Lutz said.

September vote

EU officials and Switzerland’s neighbouring countries have welcomed the outcome of Sunday’s vote.

Franco Frattini, EU commissioner responsible for justice and security, as well as Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in charge of external relations, described the ballot as an important step in relations between Switzerland and the EU.

Diana Wallis, head of the European Parliament’s delegation responsible for relations with Switzerland, said it was good news for Switzerland.

“Although Swiss membership of Schengen is not that important for the EU, it’s nice to have a successful vote after last week [when France and the Netherlands rejected the EU’s constitution],” she told swissinfo.

Wallis added that the real test for Swiss/EU relations was still to come.

“Schengen was something Switzerland wanted more than the EU,” said Wallis. “The vote in September is much more crucial.”

The EU is waiting for that vote before it ratifies a second set of bilateral treaties with Switzerland. Wallis said that, if voters reject extending the labour treaty, it would derail all bilateral agreements, including seven which have been in force since 2002.

Germany’s Interior Minister Otto Schily said Swiss membership of the Schengen zone would benefit both countries and it was a welcome sign for Europe at a time of growing scepticism against the EU in other countries.”

swissinfo, Urs Geiser

Key facts

Swiss voters have endorsed a parliamentary decision for closer security and asylum cooperation with the EU. The margin was 54.6% “yes” to 45.4% “no”.
Voter turnout was 56%.
The Schengen/Dublin treaties are part of a second set of bilateral accords between Switzerland and the EU.
In September, the electorate is due to decide on extending access to Switzerland’s labour market for the ten EU member countries.