The Federal Council rejects “No Switzerland of 10 million”

The Federal Council wants nothing to do with the “No Switzerland for 10 million” initiative, which compromises the prosperity, the economy, the functioning of society and the security of the country. He is also not proposing a direct or indirect counter-project, he decided on Wednesday.

The SVP’s sustainability initiative calls for strict immigration controls. The permanent resident population of Switzerland must not exceed ten million people by 2050.

The Federal Council and Parliament must take action as soon as the population exceeds 9.5 million. People admitted provisionally could no longer obtain a residence or establishment permit, nor Swiss nationality, nor any other right to stay.

If necessary, Bern should terminate international treaties favoring population growth, such as the agreement on the free movement of people with the EU, or the UN Migration Pact.

Danger in the event of termination of agreements

Terminating the agreement on the free movement of persons would jeopardise the bilateral path with the EU, the government believes in a press release. In the event of unilateral termination, the guillotine clause would automatically lead to the extinction of all bilateral agreements I concluded with the EU.

The Federal Council also cites the Schengen/Dublin association agreements which also risk ending. This would cause an increase in irregular migration in Switzerland and harm the fight against crime.

Following a postulate, the government also tasked the Department of Justice and Police with updating the report on the free movement of people and immigration in Switzerland. This includes defining a plan of support measures in collaboration with other departments and with the participation of the cantons and social partners.

Not the first initiative

Highlighting the collection of the required number of signatures in just nine months, the UDC believes that the population is urgently demanding sustainable and autonomously controlled immigration. She criticizes the fact that, since 2023, for the first time, more than 9 million people live in Switzerland. And she describes immigration as responsible for all evils.

The party further deplores the fact that the PS, Les Verts, PLR, Le Center and the Vert’liberaux refuse to implement the constitutional mandate that the people and the cantons validated on February 9, 2014 with the adoption of the initiative on “mass immigration”, which notably called for the establishment of quotas to limit immigration.

The SVP had already returned to the charge with its so-called limitation initiative, which called for the end of the agreement on the free movement of people with the EU within twelve months. It was rejected in 2020 by nearly 62% of the electorate.

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