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SWISS REFERENDUM

Schengen, travel and migration: What would leaving Frontex mean for Switzerland?

The Swiss vote Sunday on whether to boost their participation in the European border agency Frontex, amid fears a "no" could ultimately push Switzerland out of the Schengen open-borders area. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 12 May 2022 10:46 CEST
Two people on a Norwegian Frontex boat near the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: STR / AFP
Two people on a Norwegian Frontex boat near the Greek island of Lesbos. Photo: STR / AFP

Switzerland’s government and parliament have already decided the wealthy Alpine nation, which is not in the European Union but is part of Schengen, should participate in the agency’s planned expansion.

But opponents have slammed the decision and forced the issue to a referendum under Switzerland’s famous direct democracy system.

Opinion polls indicate Swiss voters back the expansion, with the latest survey showing 69 percent in favour.

Here is an overview of what is at stake:

The reform 

Frontex was created in 2004 to patrol the Schengen area’s external borders, fight cross-border crime and manage migratory flows.

READ MORE: How Switzerland’s direct democracy system works 

The European parliament decided to strengthen the agency in the wake of the 2015 migrant crisis. It voted in 2019 that over the next eight years, Frontex should be equipped with a permanent contingent of 10,000 border guards and coast guards.

Switzerland has been closely cooperating with the EU on security and asylum since 2008, and participating in Frontex since 2011.

The landlocked country in the heart of Europe has cooperated on joint flights coordinated by the agency to send back migrants and reject asylum seekers.

The referendum

According to the plan, Switzerland should gradually increase its contribution from six to 40 full-time positions at the agency by 2027.

It should also nearly triple its financial contribution to Frontex to 61 million Swiss francs ($62 million, 58 million euros) annually, up from 24 million francs in 2021.

But the No Frontex committee, made up of various migrant support organisations and with backing from left-leaning political parties, opposed the move and collected enough signatures to force a referendum.

Opponents insist Switzerland should not take part in “human rights violations”, pointing to frequent accusations against Frontex of illegally returning migrants across EU borders, or of turning a blind eye when national authorities themselves carry out such “pushbacks”.

Switzerland’s political right meanwhile fully backs the expansion, including the populist right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), which frequently campaigns against any agreements between Switzerland and the EU.

But there are splits on the issue within Switzerland’s largest party, with some SVP members calling for a “no” vote in the hope that the country will leave Frontex and regain “autonomous control” of its borders.

Frontex: How Switzerland’s ‘border vote’ on May 15th could impact travel

Automatic exclusion? 

The government has warned if voters reject the expansion, Switzerland risks automatic exclusion from the Schengen area.

To avoid getting kicked out, a committee consisting of Swiss representatives, the European Commission and EU member states would need to reach a unanimous agreement within 90 days.

“It is too early to speculate on the result of the vote,” a Commission spokeswoman in Brussels told AFP. According to the government, the consequences of a Swiss exit from Schengen “would be felt daily, including through restrictions on the freedom to travel, and would lead to increased costs across the economy”.

“This cooperation is necessary, and it is beneficial for Switzerland,” Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said.

What else is at stake on May 15th?

Sunday, May 15th, sees the latest round of Swiss referenda. 

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What’s at stake in Switzerland’s May referendums?

On a federal level, three questions are up for consideration: Netflix and streaming, organ donation rules and Frontex. More information on these votes are available at the following links. 

READ MORE: What is the ‘Netflix vote’ and how could it change TV in Switzerland?

EXPLAINED: What Switzerland’s ‘organ donation’ vote means for you

Frontex: How Switzerland’s ‘border vote’ on May 15th could impact travel

There are also dozens of referendum questions being asked at a cantonal level all across the country. 

In Zurich, voters will go to the polls to decide on several questions. 

Perhaps the most relevant for Local readers is the referendum on improving the naturalisation process, including making the system uniform across each of the canton’s 162 municipalities. 

Detailed information is available at the following link. 

EXPLAINED: How Zurich wants to make naturalisation easier

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SWISS REFERENDUM

‘Historic step’: What to know about Geneva’s plan to extend parental leave

Geneva residents have voted for a 24-week paid leave package for new parents — the first Swiss canton to do so.

Published: 20 June 2023 12:25 CEST
‘Historic step’: What to know about Geneva's plan to extend parental leave

Nearly 58 percent of the canton’s voters on Sunday June 18th greenlighted the proposal put forward by the Green Liberal Party to grant new parents a paid leave that is six weeks longer than the current (cumulative) period allowed by the law (read more about this below).

“It is an immense joy, a historic progressive step,” Aurélien Barakat, president of the Geneva Green Liberals, said on social media after the results of the vote emerged. 

However, the new legislation must still be approved by the parliament during its autumn session, so the victory at the polls is still tentative at this point.

What would the new law provide for?

In short, it would give new parents in the canton — including homosexual couples and adoptive parents — more time at home with their baby.

Currently, Geneva mothers get 16 weeks of leave (versus 14 weeks provided for by federal law), while fathers benefit from two weeks — the same period as in other cantons.

Under the new law — should it be accepted by the parliament — new parents will benefit from six more weeks at home with their baby.

This leave can be taken either at the same time by both parents for a total of 24 weeks for the two, or one of the parents can grant two weeks of their own allowance to the other, by mutual agreement. In other words, this scheme allows some flexibility.

These additional weeks are to be financed by a joint contribution from employees and employers.

Not everyone, however, is happy about the vote’s results.

“With the approval of this constitutional provision, the purchasing power of the population will decline due to the increase in joint contributions,” toward the parental leave, the Geneva section of the right wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC) said in a statement. 

What is the situation elsewhere in the country?

Parental leave allowances in Switzerland are lagging behind many other European nations. 

The reason is that the country has a strong history of individual responsibility, which promotes the idea that the state (or employer) should not pay for people choosing to have children.

Mothers here are entitled to 14 weeks leave and fathers to two.

During the 14-week (or 98-day) leave of absence, mothers in Switzerland are entitled to be paid 80 percent of their salary, up to a maximum of 196 francs a day.

But while the paid maternity leave was established in Switzerland in 2005 — years later than in the EU — fathers had to wait much longer to get that same (though more time- limited) right.

That changed on September 27th, 2020, when 60 percent of Swiss voters decided in favour of a two-weeks paternity leave.

As far as compensation, fathers can receive a maximum of 2,744 Swiss francs during their two weeks of leave with the money to be paid under the state-run compensation scheme. 

READ ALSO: What parental leave are new parents entitled to in Switzerland?

All this shows why Geneva’s move is truly pioneering for Switzerland, although it is still far behind the benefits accorded to new parents in other countries — in France, for instance, new mothers are entitled to receive up to 26 weeks of leave, and in Sweden both parents can benefit from 480 days off.

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