The question of how Switzerland and the European Union will regulate their mutual relations going forward has prompted a lively response from many “Swiss Review” readers. The numerous and, in some cases, highly emotional responses represent a wide range of views, from strong scepticism towards the EU to grave concerns over the consequences of cutting the country off from its nearest neighbours.
The proposed treaty is not a declaration of Switzerland’s accession to the European Union (EU). It is bending the knee to the EU bureaucratic machine. And to an EU currently in a state of disintegration. We are witnessing a bureaucracy that has forcefully assumed competencies that fall within the sole remit of the nation states.
It saddens me to read that Switzerland, the country I grew up in, is even discussing bilateral relations with the EU. I can’t imagine losing our direct democracy. We have a national anthem with the words “pray, free Swiss people, pray” (“betet, freie Schweizer, betet” in German). For how long can we stay free Swiss people?
Well done for the editorial on the European Union. Switzerland is in the centre of Europe. So, it is European. It makes no sense to want insurmountable barriers between Switzerland and the EU. I am unimpressed by Magdalena Martullo-Blocher’s comment about Switzerland being threatened with a “subjugation treaty”. That is fundamentally wrong. A treaty is per se an agreement, a harmonisation between two sides… in other words, a win-win situation. It’s also very insulting to our neighbours to describe Europe as an imbalanced and fluctuating structure. Are Switzerland’s institutions balanced? Is it normal that millionaires pay the same health insurance contributions as low earners? Then there is food: Switzerland would not be able to feed its people without support from Europe. What would we do if the EU were to block grain imports? Our main partner is not Indonesia, Korea or Thailand, but Europe!
The “Review” article and editorial nail it: Switzerland’s proximity to the EU must be cultivated and strengthened. It’s obvious!
Switzerland is surrounded by EU countries and it can survive through negotiations and treaties alone. The country is part of a free EU market: goods and services worth over 1 billion francs are traded between Switzerland and the EU every day. What if the EU were to cancel all the treaties – including freedom of movement – from one day to the next? Of course, the EU has many problems. But subjugation treaties – colonial treaties – as Magdalena Martullo-Blocher wrote in the “Review” have long since been consigned to the past. Still, a politician like her could really make a difference in the EU parliament – and not just for Switzerland, but for Europe.
The “Swiss Review” needs to look in the mirror and acknowledge that it is not being objective. It needs to realise that we Swiss Abroad are not young children who have to be taught and shown the “right” way. The job of the “Review” is to report the facts and stay neutral. If it shares its own opinion on an issue, it has failed to do that.
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