Switzerland could vote to cap its population

Switzerland will hold a referendum on capping its population at 10 million – a move that could damage its economy and endanger lucrative agreements with the EU.

Swiss citizens will vote in June on the radical proposal put forward by the far-right Swiss People’s Party, the government has confirmed. Switzerland’s permanent population currently stands at 9.1 million, having risen in recent years as foreign-born workers are drawn in by its high wages and good quality of life. The SVP, now the country’s largest political party, claims the “population explosion” has pushed public services to breaking point.

‘Sustainability’ initiative

Switzerland has one of the highest proportions of foreign-born residents in Europe: 27%, according to government figures. Since 2000, its population has grown by about 25%, faster than most neighbouring countries. Housing supply has struggled to keep pace, causing spiralling rents and shortages that have sharpened unease about immigration.

For years, the SVP has “sought to curb a rise in migration into the rich Alpine country”, said The Washington Post – “with mixed results”. The party, which has finished first in every election since 1999, has repeatedly put forward hardline proposals, such as deporting any foreigner convicted of even a minor offence. But, it said, after an “influx of over 180,000 people in a single year, action must finally be taken”.

Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, citizen-proposed initiatives that gather 100,000 signatures within 18 months are put to a national vote. Such initiatives have long been a favoured tool of the SVP, which says the “No to a 10 million Switzerland” initiative is about the country’s “sustainability”. Backers argue that a population cap would “help protect the environment, natural resources, infrastructure and the social safety net”, said The Washington Post.

If passed, the government would be forced to act if the population exceeds 9.5 million before 2050. It would have to “refuse entry to newcomers”, said CNN, “including asylum seekers and the families of foreign residents”. If the population exceeds 10 million, the government would have “to end its free-movement agreement” with the EU, Switzerland’s largest trading partner.

Frustration at housing shortages

The proposal is “strongly opposed by both chambers of parliament”, said The Guardian, as well as “the business and financial services community”. Switzerland benefits from its participation in Europe’s Schengen zone of visa-free travel. Any resident population cap would “threaten key agreements with the EU” and could “cripple the economy”. Many Swiss-based multinationals, such as Nestlé and Roche, rely on foreign-born workers.

But “domestic support for the vote is high”, said the Financial Times. A recent poll by research group LeeWas found that 48% of respondents support the cap. As in several European nations, frustration over housing shortages is fuelling support for far-right parties that champion stricter migration controls.

Critics point out that the initiative “imposes a hard cap”, rather than setting out a “detailed quota or migration-management system”. This would mean “a near-complete stop on additional workforce immigration” once the threshold is reached.

It could “derail” last year’s “carefully negotiated new deal between Bern and Brussels” to keep Switzerland’s access to the EU’s single market, and risk Switzerland’s place in the Schengen. It is, said business lobby group Economiesuisse, a “chaos initiative”.