Switzerland’s biggest party, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), has denounced the government’s proposed package of new agreements with the European Union as a colonial treaty that would undermine the country’s sovereignty and direct democracy, reported RTS. The party wants the agreements rejected both by parliament and in a future referendum.
The package, which aims to stabilise and deepen bilateral relations with the EU, includes one general agreement and three sectoral ones covering food security, electricity, and health policy. The Federal Council intends to submit the deal to a popular vote only, as it did with the earlier Bilateral I and II accords—rather than to a double majority of people and cantons, as the UDC/SVP demands. Parliament will decide the matter.
To shore up domestic support, the government has promised flanking measures in areas such as wage protection, immigration, transport, and energy.
Submission to Brussels
There is nothing worth saving in these accords, said Thomas Aeschi, the UDC/SVP’s parliamentary leader, at a press conference in Bern. The agreements, he claimed, amount to an accession treaty in disguise. “If accepted, our Confederation would be sacrificed,” he warned.
Another UDC/SVP lawmaker, Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, argued that the accords would force Switzerland to adopt EU law automatically and immediately. Key policies—immigration, social security, health and agriculture—would henceforth be dictated from Brussels, she said.
Pascal Schmid, a UDC/SVP deputy from Thurgau, claimed the deal would further expand free movement, granting EU citizens a permanent right of residence after five years, even if unemployed or reliant on social assistance. Family reunification would also be simplified.
The safeguard clause allowing Switzerland to restrict immigration in case of excessive inflows would, said Paolo Pamini, an MP from Ticino, be ineffective, since it could only be triggered with the EU’s consent.
A balanced package, says Bern
The Federal Council rejects the UDC/SVP’s accusations. It insists Switzerland would not be obliged to adopt EU law automatically, describing the deal as balanced and vital for national prosperity. The accords have the backing of business lobbies such as economiesuisse and of trade unions.
The draft agreements are under public consultation until October 31st, after which parliament will take up the dossier in 2026. The Free Democratic Party (PLR/FDP), a key player in the debate, voted at the weekend to support the package and to submit it to the people alone—a move that further isolates the UDC/SVP.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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