SHARE
COPY LINK

CURRENCY

Most Swedes favour new vote on the euro

A majority of Swedes, 51 percent, are in favour of holding another referendum on whether or not Sweden should exchange the krona for the common European currency.

Most Swedes favour new vote on the euro
Stephen Finn; Miroslav S.

Support for a new referendum on the euro is equally strong among both men and women, with the greatest level of support, 56 percent, coming from the 16- to 29-year-old age group.

The figures come from a study carried out by the Novus Opinion survey company at the behest of the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet). The results are published in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.

“It would be good for Sweden to join euro-area and a new referendum ought to be held as soon as possible,” writes Liberal Party secretary Erik Ullenhag in DN.

“It’s time to listen to the Swedish people and let the question of the euro be asked again.”

Support for a new referendum is spread across the entire political spectrum, even among Social Democratic voters.

Three of four respondents said that a referendum on adopting the euro should be held within the next two years.

The study, which was carried out between May 5th and May 12th, asked respondents, “Do you think that a new referendum on whether Sweden should adopt the euro ought to be held or not?”

Sweden last voted on whether or not to exchange the krona for the euro in 2003, with 56 percent voting to keep the krona, and 42 percent voting in favour of adopting the euro.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

REFERENDUM

Swiss decision to purchase US fighter jets could force second referendum

Switzerland's decision to purchase US-made fighter jets could be put to a referendum,

Swiss decision to purchase US fighter jets could force second referendum
Swiss fighter jets. Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP

Switzerland’s government on Wednesday backed the purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin to replace its fleet and five Patriot air defence units from fellow US manufacturer Raytheon.

Switzerland’s current air defence equipment will reach the end of its service life in 2030 and has been undergoing a long and hotly-contested search for replacements.

“The Federal Council is confident that these two systems are the most suitable for protecting the Swiss population from air threats in the future,” the government said in a statement.

‘No Trump fighter jets’: Swiss don’t want to buy American planes

The decision will now be put to the Swiss parliament — and also risks being challenged at the ballot box, with left-wingers and an anti-militarist group looking to garner enough signatures to trigger a public vote.

The F-35A was chosen ahead of the Airbus Eurofighter; the F/A-18 Super Hornet by Boeing; and French firm Dassault’s Rafale.

For the ground-based air defence (GBAD) system, Patriot was selected ahead of SAMP/T by France’s Eurosam.

“An evaluation has revealed that these two systems offer the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost,” the government statement said. Switzerland is famously neutral. However, its long-standing position is one of armed neutrality and the landlocked European country has mandatory conscription for men.

“A fleet of 36 aircraft would be large enough to cover Switzerland’s airspace protection needs over the longer term in a prolonged situation of heightened tensions,” the government said.

“The air force must be able to ensure that Swiss airspace cannot be used by foreign parties in a military conflict.” 

Long path to decision 

Switzerland began to seek replacements for its ageing fleet of fighter jets more than a decade ago, but the issue has become caught up in a political battle in the wealthy Alpine nation.

The Swiss government has long argued for the need to quickly replace its 30 or so F/A-18 Hornets, which will reach the end of their lifespan in 2030, and the F-5 Tigers, which have been in service for four decades and are not equipped for night flights.

In 2014, the country looked set to purchase 22 Gripen E fighter jets from Swedish group Saab, only to see the public vote against releasing the funds needed to go forward with the multi-billion-dollar deal.

Bern launched a new selection process four years later, and a referendum last year to release six billion Swiss francs ($6.5 billion) for the purchase of the fighters of the government’s choice squeezed through with 50.1 percent of voters in favour.

During the referendum campaign, the government warned that without a swift replacement for its fleet, “Switzerland will no longer be in a position to protect and even less defend its airspace by 2030”.

Currently, the fleet does not have the capacity to support ground troops for reconnaissance missions or to intervene against ground targets.

Meanwhile Switzerland’s current GBAD system is also old and lacks the capacity to meet the widening spectrum of modern threats.

The military currently relies on a range of Rapier and Stinger short-range missiles that have been in service since 1963.

SHOW COMMENTS