By 20 votes against, 18 for and 4 abstentions, the Council of States took a decision with significant meaning for asylum policy in Switzerland. He refused a motion from Esther Friedli (UDC/SG), who wanted to prohibit reunification for people admitted to Switzerland on a temporary basis.
The Council of States reserved the same fate for a similar motion accepted by the National Council during the autumn session.
State Councilor Pierre-Yves Maillard (PS/VD) defended family reunification for humanitarian reasons, recalling that the conditions for obtaining it are already restrictive, while putting the scale of the phenomenon into perspective: “It is not Just because we will have 100 fewer women or children rejoining their spouses each year does not mean that we will not resolve the problems that Ms. Friedli points out when she talks about too much immigration. 94 percent of those affected are women or children.
The Vaudois also insisted on the validity of a provisional admission: “If people are admitted provisionally, as this expression implies, they are here in a regular situation. When you are in a legal situation, excluding the right to live with your wife and children is contrary to our most basic principles.”
Federal Councilor Beat Jans also argued that this abolition of family reunification was contrary to the Federal Constitution. In the vote, elected officials from the left and part of the Center tipped the scales to 2 votes. Among French-speaking people, all supported family reunification, except Pascal Broulis, who abstained. In the end, the four abstentions were decisive.
