New plan against immigration to Switzerland provides for drastic measures

In the federal parliament, a new proposal is circulating on how immigration to Switzerland can be reduced. The plan provides for drastic measures. And he would probably lead to the EU Commission initiating a procedure against Switzerland.

The FDP, the middle and the green liberals agree: it takes a direct counter-proposal against the 10 million initiative of the SVP. The referendum is considered promising. And the SVP continues to gain voter parts in cantonal elections because the issue of migration brings the voice population to the urns.

An assumption of the SVP initiative could lead to the immigration of workers from the EU drastically reduced from one day to the other. And the bilateral contracts between Bern and Brussels could fall.

The model is the levy of the man -compatible men

FDP National Council and entrepreneur Simon Michel is now trying to involve the Social Democrats. The alliance against the 10 million initiative should be as wide as possible. The revised concept of Michels provides for an immigration fee: Anyone who moves to Switzerland should pay a fee of three percent to the income for a period of eleven years. A retrospective application is excluded.

The measure could be effective if the population in Switzerland has grown to 9.5 million people. This threshold also plays a role in the popular initiative of the SVP.

With the levy, a yield of around one billion francs would achieve each year – depending on the development of migration. The money is intended to flow back to the Swiss population immediately, for example with contributions to the benefits of the health insurance premiums.

The model for this model is the conscripts of the duty: Swiss men between 19 and 37, who do not do military service, have to pay a tax of three percent of their income.

How does the SP react to this proposal? « No comment, » says co-president Cédric Wermuth. The Social Democrats are still to consolidate their position. If the SP agrees, that would be a big step for the party. So far, she has not shaked the free immigration from the EU – provided that wage protection is guaranteed.

Immigration to Switzerland is still high. Much more people have come into the country since 2022 than in the six years before. The economy is dependent on workers from abroad. Now, however, the living space is becoming scarce and Switzerland is becoming increasingly difficult to adapt the infrastructure. The topic of immigration is mentioned much more frequently in the collection of the worry barometer than in previous years.

However, the Federal Council does not want to present a counter-proposal to the SVP's 10 million initiative. Minister of Justice Beat Jans (SP) instead works on accompanying measures: The asylum procedures should be carried out faster. And the women of expats are supposed to work more. In the FDP, the center party and the GLP, many doubt that the voters are impressed in sufficient large numbers.

The protective clause that the EU Commission has granted to the Federal Council-is it more than a reassurance pill? Can Bern really use the clause in the new contract package to reduce immigration? Many politicians are skeptical.

You think that a handy measure is needed – like the immigration fee. FDP President Thierry Burkart emphasizes that the “termination initiative” of the SVP would be extremely harmful to Switzerland. It is therefore a good thing that parties other than the FDP dealt with the problem.

The FDP supports immigration if it is a pure steering tax and the population is refunded. « It is important that a steering effect actually occurs in relation to immigration and the measure of the Swiss population is based on the bottom line, » explains Burkart. SMEs and other companies that urgently searched for workers should not be punished.

Accept possible conflict with the EU

What does the FDP president say that the EU could react with sanctions against Switzerland? «This is of minor importance. We must not practice in advance. » What is crucial what the Swiss population serves.

Burkart is on a line with center president Gerhard Pfister. This advocates that a country can temporarily have restrictions if immigration is excited – even if this violates the principle of free movement.

What does SVP President Marcel Dettling think of the possible counter-proposal to the initiative of his party? « The problem is not resolved with an immigration fee, » he says. The density stress on the street and rail that plagues people, the shortage of apartments – they only take off if immigration is effectively falling. « You have to start especially in the asylum area and in the unchecked job growth that we see in the state. »

The reaction of the Green President Lisa Mazzone is also negative-albeit for another reason. It refers to the shortage of labor in Switzerland, especially in the hospitals, on the construction and in the computer science industry. What the FDP suggests is a « counterproductive bureaucracy monster ». The FDP should fight the initiative of the SVP instead of imitating the SVP.

It will soon be shown whether a majority of the federal parliament agree on a counter-proposal to the 10 million initiative. The insight grows that a proposal without hard provisions does not make any sense.