In a recent interview, Guy Parmelin, a Swiss Federal Councillor and former president, said that at some point the population will say stop, referring to immigration, reported SRF. In the interview, Parmelin, a Federal Councillor and member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC) was unusually blunt regarding Switzerland’s politics of immigration, something his party has […]
Swiss parliament rejects initiative to limit immigration
Last week, Switzerland’s parliament voted against an initiative put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) to limit immigration into Switzerland, according to RTS. The idea was rejected by 123 votes to 63. The UDC was the only party to support it. If a majority of Swiss voters support the initiative the government would have […]
The new immigration vote that could end free Swiss-EU migration
Last week the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) and Action for a neutral independent Switzerland (ASIN) began collecting the 100,000 signatures required to launch a new vote to limit immigration into Switzerland from EU and EFTA nations. The new initiative to limit immigration is less ambiguous than the one put to a vote on 9 February 2014. […]
The evolution of Switzerland’s foreign population since 2000
Over the 16 years from 2000, Switzerland’s population grew by 16% from 7.2 million to 8.3 million. The majority of this growth came from the foreign population, which grew by 46% from 1.4 million to 2.0 million. The number of Swiss citizens grew by 521k to 6.3 million, a rise of 9% – buried in […]
Muslim parents cannot exempt their daughters from mixed swimming classes
20 Minutes. Muslim parents living in Basel, who were opposed to mixed swimming classes at school, took their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The case concerned the refusal of the parents to send their daughters, who had not reached the age of puberty, to compulsory mixed swimming lessons as part of […]
Proposed integration laws rejected by Swiss government commission
20 Minutes. A government commission has rejected proposed laws designed to improve the integration of foreigners in Switzerland, with 12 votes against, 9 for, and 2 abstentions. By early 2014, the Swiss National Council and Council of States had made good progress on the project. Then, following the successful popular vote in February 2014 to […]
More than 1,300 illegal migrants entered Switzerland in the first week of July
20 Minutes. During the first week of July, Swiss immigration officers witnessed a rise in the number of people illegally entering Switzerland. A record number of more than 1,300 people were stopped at the border in Ticino after illegally entering the country between 4 and 10 July. The majority, 665, were from Eritrea. According to […]
Should migrants be forced to learn the host country’s language?
Le Matin. According to The Times, migrants in Britain who failed to improve their English would lose the chance to remain there as part of a drive to bring Muslim women into mainstream society. Speaking to the British newspaper Prime Minister David Cameron announced a £20 million fund for teaching female muslims to speak English. He wants to bring […]
Surprising consensus on Ecopop’s destructively negative consequences
UBS, Switzerland’s leading bank, says that it is proving difficult to determine the precise impact anti-migration initiatives could have both on the economy and the country’s relations with the European Union. Nevertheless, the bank did not mince words by stating that not only was the 9 February vote to restrict mass immigration from the EU […]