Former Swiss President disappointed after immigration vote
Former Swiss president disappointed after immigration vote
FEBRUARY 11, 2014 BY 0 COMMENTS
Micheline Calmy-Rey with Guy Mettan, head of the Swiss Press Club in Geneva, Tuesday (photo copyright 2014: Paula Dupraz-Dobias)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Former Swiss president Micheline Calmy-Rey expressed disappointment Tuesday 11 February at results from this weekend’s national referendum limiting immigration into the country.
Calmy-Rey, who spoke at the Swiss Press Club for the launch of her biography entitled “La Suisse que je souhaite” (The Switzerland that I would like to see), said the improvement of bilateral relations with the European Union which she defended for nine years, had been “spat out” in Sunday’s referendum.
Voters may have been uncomfortable with EU “diktat”
The former head of the seven-member ruling Federal Council, who is from Geneva, said that voters may have felt uncomfortable with having to comply with an EU “diktat” requiring Switzerland to accept European legislation in exchange for access to markets. But she said that the EU had been moving in recent years towards greater “diversification”, involving integration of members at varying speeds, which could have become more acceptable to Switzerland.
A narrow majority of 50.3 percent of voters Sunday accepted a proposal made by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC), that gives the Swiss government three years to formulate legislation to impose quotas on immigration and to negotiate with Brussels on the new laws.
Calmy-Rey, who resigned from government at the end of 2011, said that the failure to confront the UDC’s proposals until now with alternative plans has been a mistaken policy in Switzerland.
“We have always been afraid of the UDC. We never openly reacted to the UDC with alternatives, thinking that if we do it we will give them extra votes.” She insisted “We cannot hide behind our mountains.”
Meanwhile, Swiss president Didier Burkhalter met Tuesday with the parliamentary foreign policy commission to discuss the results of the referendum. The commission requested that the government quickly come up with a strategy on how to enforce the initiative while pursuing bilateral talks with the EU.
“The situation is difficult, but not the end of the world,” Burkhalter said following the meeting.
