Nearly 55% of voters in Switzerland on Sunday rejected an initiative championed by the top right-wing party to cap the rich Alpine country’s population at 10 million, early results showed.
The populist Swiss People’s Party, which has the most seats in parliament, has stirred up and fostered anti-migration sentiment over the years, notably about an influx of workers from the neighboring European Union.
Some have dubbed the proposal a “Swiss Brexit” because it could jeopardize Switzerland’s deep ties to the European Union anchored by deals that foster economic growth, cultural ties and cross-border travel, among other things. Switzerland is not one of the EU’s 27 member states, but it is all but surrounded by four of them
Swiss neutrality doesn’t mean they can’t be part of an economic or even political organization. Switzerland is part of the UN, various economic unions, treaties and organizations, European human rights council etc. NATO would be more of an issue, but becoming an EU member isn’t conflicting with neutrality. There are other issues regarding sovereignty and our direct democracy and probably a couple more if joining the EU ever becomes a serious topic, but neutrality isn’t a problem.
I always considered that being a member of EU parliament meant that by default you are bound to their decisions and without agency you can no longer be neutral. But hey I guess I am wrong.