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S U B S C R I B E
WRS stories about “EU”
Immigration quiz—Swiss People’s Party question the nation
Thursday, 29 July, 2010
Should Switzerland abandon or renegotiate the Free Movement of People accord with the EU? Should long term unemployed foreigners be sent home? Should foreigners who commit serious crimes be automatically deported? The Swiss People’s Party has sent out a questionnaire to every Swiss household to canvas opinion on these and similar issues. The questionnaire’s accompanied by a pamphlet outlining the Swiss People’s Party’s outlook on foreigners, immigration and crime. WRS’s Vincent Landon has more.
Thursday, 29 July, 2010
Should Switzerland abandon or renegotiate the Free Movement of People accord with the EU? Should long term unemployed foreigners be sent home? Should foreigners who commit serious crimes be automatically deported? The Swiss People’s Party has sent out a questionnaire to every Swiss household to canvas opinion on these and similar issues. The questionnaire’s accompanied by a pamphlet outlining the Swiss People’s Party’s outlook on foreigners, immigration and crime. WRS’s Vincent Landon has more.
Iranian academic: Enforcing EU sanctions could ruin relations with Swiss
Tuesday, 27 July, 2010
Will Switzerland implement the new European Union sanctions against Iran? The EU recently approved tougher sanctions on investment into Iran, nearly a month after the United Nations issued sanctions on the Islamic republic. The sanctions are seen as a way to pressure Iran to conform to international guidelines around its nuclear program. But would Swiss involvement ruin diplomatic relations with the country and dissolve any sense of a neutral Swiss state in the matter? Alex Helmick talks to Farian Sabahi, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Turin and a professor at the University of Geneva.
Tuesday, 27 July, 2010
Will Switzerland implement the new European Union sanctions against Iran? The EU recently approved tougher sanctions on investment into Iran, nearly a month after the United Nations issued sanctions on the Islamic republic. The sanctions are seen as a way to pressure Iran to conform to international guidelines around its nuclear program. But would Swiss involvement ruin diplomatic relations with the country and dissolve any sense of a neutral Swiss state in the matter? Alex Helmick talks to Farian Sabahi, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Turin and a professor at the University of Geneva.
Decision time—what next for Switzerland and the EU?
Tuesday, 27 July, 2010
Tuesday, 27 July, 2010
Europe is getting tired of Switzerland thinking it’s a special case. That was the message Doris Leuthard took away from Brussels last week after tough talks about the future of Switzerland’s 20 major bilateral agreements and around 100 secondary accords. On August 18, the Swiss government will publish a keenly awaited report on the status of European integration and whether bilateral accords have a future.
The debate is exactly what opponents of closer ties with Europe have been looking for. Over the weekend the former Swiss People’s Party president Cristophe Blocher floated the idea of an initiative to ban EU membership. WRS’s Conor Lennon speaks with the party’s Ulrich Schluer for that perspective, but first we hear from Christa Markwalder, a liberal MP and president of NOMES, the New Movement European Switzerland. WRS’s Pete Forster asked her what she made of Mr Blocher’s suggestion:
How Greece's bailout affects Switzerland's thoughts on joining EU
Tuesday, 4 May, 2010
Though Switzerland isn’t a member of the European Union, it’s had a front-row view of the Greek debt crisis. Not so surprisingly, opponents of Switzerland joining the EU see the events as boosting their point of view. But, surprisingly, even pro-EU groups are finding a silver lining. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports on how the euro-crisis could weigh on the discussion in Switzerland about EU membership.
Tuesday, 4 May, 2010
Though Switzerland isn’t a member of the European Union, it’s had a front-row view of the Greek debt crisis. Not so surprisingly, opponents of Switzerland joining the EU see the events as boosting their point of view. But, surprisingly, even pro-EU groups are finding a silver lining. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports on how the euro-crisis could weigh on the discussion in Switzerland about EU membership.
Wednesday, 31 March, 2010
The long-running diplomatic spat with Libya and a global assault on banking secrecy have served to remind the Swiss just how alone they are in the world. No surprise then that the country’s pro-Europe lobby has been vaunting the benefits that membership of the European Union would bring. So it may come as some surprise that a poll of 1,000 people commissioned by Reader’s Digest Switzerland has found that most Swiss are still opposed to EU membership. WRS’s Carla Drysdale called on Michael Fust, secretary-general of the New European Movement of Switzerland (NOMES) in Bern, to find out if they were surprised by the results:
Swiss relationship with 'new' EU even more complicated
Monday, 15 February, 2010
Last week, the European parliament voted in the new European Commission. It’s one of a host of changes this year in Brussels and Strasbourg. Among them, a stronger parliament and new leaders to head the bloc. So what does this mean for Switzerland, a country living outside the EU, but intimately connected to it? WRS’s Mark Butcher called on Rene Schwok, a political science professor at the University of Geneva:
Monday, 15 February, 2010
Last week, the European parliament voted in the new European Commission. It’s one of a host of changes this year in Brussels and Strasbourg. Among them, a stronger parliament and new leaders to head the bloc. So what does this mean for Switzerland, a country living outside the EU, but intimately connected to it? WRS’s Mark Butcher called on Rene Schwok, a political science professor at the University of Geneva:
Questions of EU membership not going anywhere
Monday, 9 November, 2009
Monday, 9 November, 2009
Would Switzerland be less isolated if it was part of the EU? Is the “bilateral way” sustainable? With Switzerland’s unemployment is much lower than that of the EU, and the standards of living are higher: What’s in it for us? To tackle these and other questions in this persistent debate, WRS’s Conor Lennon invites to the discussion table:
- NZZ journalist Beat Kappeler
- Dr. Ruxandra Stoicescu from WRS’s International Relations Uncovered
- Claudio Zanetti, Member of Parliament for Zurich and former Central Secretary of the Zurich Swiss People Party
- François Baur, permanent delegate of economiesuisse in Brussels
Confronting the new reality in Brussels
Wednesday, 4 November, 2009
Brussels is becoming impatient with having to negotiate detail after detail in the many bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland, says Jean Russotto, a Swiss attorney based in Brussels. But clearly the Swiss won’t adopt EU laws wholesale, and EU membership is not in the picture at this stage. So, WRS’s Jordan Davis asks Russotto, is there a way around this impasse?
Wednesday, 4 November, 2009
Brussels is becoming impatient with having to negotiate detail after detail in the many bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland, says Jean Russotto, a Swiss attorney based in Brussels. But clearly the Swiss won’t adopt EU laws wholesale, and EU membership is not in the picture at this stage. So, WRS’s Jordan Davis asks Russotto, is there a way around this impasse?
Tuesday, 3 November, 2009
Switzerland has long-resisted EU membership, preferring instead to strengthen economic ties with its neighbors through bilateral agreements. But in some corners of the EU headquarters, Switzerland’s special status is a growing source of frustration. WRS’s Jordan Davis brings us another view of Swiss-EU relations from Brussels.
Monday, 2 November, 2009
EU membership is back on the table for Switzerland. In a recent foreign policy report, the government said EU membership is a scenario that cannot be excluded in the future. In Bern, this created political shockwaves—and is breaking the taboo over whether Switzerland should join the EU. But this week, WRS’s Jordan Davis is looking at Swiss-EU relations from the perspective of Brussels.
Impact of proposed EU deal on Swiss data protection unknown
Thursday, 23 July, 2009
The European Union says it wants to give American anti-terror investigators wider access to SWIFT bank transfer information. SWIFT of course, refers to the code you need when you transfer money between countries. It’s unclear whether non-EU member, Switzerland, can prevent this data from being copied or exported to SWIFT’s headquarters in Brussels. There was a huge outcry three years ago when it came to light that the CIA was tapping into SWIFT transactions. WRS’s Adam Beaumont called on Eliane Schmid, the spokeswoman for the Bern-based Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, for her take on the situation.
Thursday, 23 July, 2009
The European Union says it wants to give American anti-terror investigators wider access to SWIFT bank transfer information. SWIFT of course, refers to the code you need when you transfer money between countries. It’s unclear whether non-EU member, Switzerland, can prevent this data from being copied or exported to SWIFT’s headquarters in Brussels. There was a huge outcry three years ago when it came to light that the CIA was tapping into SWIFT transactions. WRS’s Adam Beaumont called on Eliane Schmid, the spokeswoman for the Bern-based Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner, for her take on the situation.
Monday, 15 June, 2009
Philippe Mottaz and his panel leaf through the week’s international pages, with a focus on the recent European parliamentary elections.
Dateline CH: Swiss say no to quotas
Thursday, 21 May, 2009
Vincent Landon is joined by Haig Simonian of the Financial Times and Pascal Lechler of ARD to discuss quotas on workers from EU countries, the world health assembly meeting in Geneva, continuing woes at UBS and 125 years of Swiss army knives.
Thursday, 21 May, 2009
Vincent Landon is joined by Haig Simonian of the Financial Times and Pascal Lechler of ARD to discuss quotas on workers from EU countries, the world health assembly meeting in Geneva, continuing woes at UBS and 125 years of Swiss army knives.
Thursday, 21 May, 2009
With rising unemployment and a steep influx of EU nationals, the Swiss government recently considered implementing the so-called ’safeguard clause’ in the Free Movement of People treaty, to limit the number of workers arriving from the EU’s orginal member states. Yesterday, however, the Federal Cabinet rejected the measure, saying quotas would be counterproductive and ineffective as an economic measure. Roland Abeglen, from the New European Movement of Switzerland told WRS’s Jordan Davis that the government was also considering how Brussels would react to quotas.
