Voters support bilateral agreements and are willing to compromise
Published: Tuesday, Aug 27th 2024, 10:00
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The Swiss electorate remains convinced by the bilateral agreements with the EU. A majority is prepared to compromise in the current negotiations, according to a survey published on Tuesday on behalf of the pharmaceutical association Interpharma.
The survey was conducted by the opinion research institute gfs.bern for the eleventh time. According to the results, a majority of 65% of the 2000 voters surveyed in July mainly saw advantages in the bilateral agreements.
Advantages and disadvantages were identified by 14%, a decrease of 9 percentage points compared to the previous year. As in the previous year, a majority were in favor of negotiations with the EU. 86% highlighted the advantages for the economy, 83% for research, 70% for working life and 69% for studying in Europe.
According to Interpharma, the association of the research-based pharmaceutical industry, voters recognize the necessity of the bilateral agreements for prosperity and innovation in Switzerland. 84 percent cited access to the export market, 82 percent to education and research programs and 79 percent to skilled workers.
Almost four out of five voters surveyed thought it was right to resume negotiations with the EU. It was clear to respondents that this would require concessions. 85% were prepared to compromise on wage protection in order to conclude negotiations, 30 percentage points more than in the previous year.
47% were willing to compromise on the adoption of the Citizens' Rights Directive, an increase of 16 percentage points. For the first time, the current survey showed a majority of 55% in favor of continuing the bilateral agreements, even if this involves the adoption of EU law.
The opinion research institute gfs.bern conducted the survey, which is considered representative, from July 1 to 29 among eligible voters throughout the country. 804 interviews were conducted in computer-assisted telephone interviews, 1196 online.
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