Center President Pfister reiterates call for safeguard clause
Published: Saturday, Aug 24th 2024, 12:30
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Center Party President Gerhard Pfister has reiterated his call for a safeguard clause on immigration in the negotiations with the EU. He called for a counter-project to the SVP's immigration initiative.
His party had already campaigned for a safeguard clause during the implementation of the mass immigration initiative, but did not find a majority at the time, Pfister said on SRF Radio's "Samstagsrundschau" program.
Now there is another SVP immigration initiative that calls for the termination of the bilateral agreements in the event of a Switzerland of ten million. The SVP's concern is justified, but terminating the bilateral agreements as a last resort would be harmful. A counter-project is therefore necessary.
Pfister expressed the conviction that such a safeguard clause would also have a chance in the negotiations with the EU. The EU must understand that Switzerland has different decision-making mechanisms. Negotiations are always concluded with reservations. In the end, the people would have to decide.
It is not certain that the EU would accept such a safeguard clause. However, if it weighed up the risks, a safeguard clause would be a more moderate solution than the risk that the entire bilateral agreements would be at stake if the SVP initiative were accepted.
The SVP initiative "No Switzerland of 10 million!" was formally launched in the spring. If 9.5 million people live in the country before 2050, the Federal Council and Parliament would have to take measures. If these fail to have the desired effect, the popular initiative calls for the termination of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU as an emergency brake.
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