A population-cap referendum could force Bern to choose between curbing immigration and preserving its access to the EU
Swiss voters will decide this weekend whether to impose a population limit, with far-reaching implications for relations with the EU and for more than half a million Swiss expats.
The referendum initiative would cap the population at 10 million and require the Swiss government to step in if the country reaches 9.5 million.
Brussels is following the vote closely. “The free movement of persons is a key component of our relations,” a European Commission spokesperson told Euractiv. “It is on this basis that we will look at the outcome of this vote.”
Switzerland, a non-EU country, is entirely landlocked by member states except for the small principality of Liechtenstein, which holds even closer ties with the bloc.
