As Handelsblatt reports, the Swiss vote on Sunday on the so-called sustainability initiative of the right-wing populist People’s Party (SVP). The initiative demands that the population be legally capped at ten million people. At the end of 2025, around 9.1 million people lived in Switzerland.
The SVP argues that strong immigration leads to “density stress,” housing shortages, and overburdened infrastructure. The initiative stipulates that the Federal Council and parliament must intervene in asylum matters and family reunification once the population reaches 9.5 million. If the number exceeds ten million, Switzerland would have to terminate international agreements – including the free movement of persons agreement with the EU as well as the Schengen and Dublin rules.
The government, parliament, and business associations reject the cap. They warn of economic damage, a break with the EU, and high costs for the federal government and cantons. Industries are heavily dependent on foreign workers: in the hospitality sector, 46 percent of employees come from abroad, in construction 34 percent – not counting cross-border commuters.
Around 27 percent of the Swiss population holds foreign citizenship. The largest group are Italians (15 percent), followed by Germans (14 percent). About 330,000 Germans live permanently in Switzerland, and more than 400,000 cross-border commuters travel into the country daily, over half of them from France. Polls suggest a close race.
Source: www.handelsblatt.com
