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ANALYSIS: Why is Swiss solidarity with Ukrainian refugees waning?

There are about 50,000 Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland at the moment. But though they were welcomed with open arms at the beginning of the war, hospitality now seems to be wearing thin.

Published: 6 June 2022 15:18 CEST
ANALYSIS: Why is Swiss solidarity with Ukrainian refugees waning?
Swiss show their support for Ukraine in front of the Federal Palace in Bern. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

We all remember heartbreaking photos of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the war after Russia invaded their country on February 24th.

Like many other European nations, the Swiss opened their hearts and borders to these people, with both the government and population moved by empathy toward the innocent victims of war.

READ MORE: How Switzerland is supporting refugees from Ukraine

Swiss authorities even activated a special permit, the so-called Status S, authorising Ukrainian refugees to live and work in Switzerland for up to a year — a period that could be extended if the war isn’t over by then.

Refugees from other countries meanwhile have to wait for three months before seeking permission to work in Switzerland.

Status S also grants Ukrainians free health care, language courses, as well as financial aid, the amount of which depends on the canton of residence.

Initially they were entitled to free use of public transport across Switzerland, but that perk expired on May 31st, with some cantons replacing the federal scheme with their own free, limited-zone transport schemes.

READ MORE: Switzerland’s special ‘S permit’ visa program: What Ukrainians need to know

A family escaping Ukraine. Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

There were a number of reasons for this unprecedented show of generosity, one of which was the suddenness and severity of the Russian attack.

 “When something like this happens, we are moved, we react”, said Etienne Piguet, vice-president of the Federal Migration Commission, in an interview with the Arcinfo news outlet in April.

Also, the refugees were “mostly women and children, and that plays a role. These are people for whom we have the most compassion”, he added.

By contrast, the majority of refugees from other countries, such as Afghanistan and Syria, who are currently in Switzerland, are young men.

The population also reacted swiftly, offering accommodation in their homes as an alternative to refugee centres.

However, Piguet warned that this solidarity “will inevitably crumble”. And he was right.

There now appears to be a shift in how some people here reacted to the influx of refugees in February and March, versus now.

Refugee centres or private housing?

About 24,000 Swiss households offered to take in Ukrainian refugees, but most of the places offered “remain unoccupied to this day”, according to media reports.

In fact, only 4,500 Ukrainians were placed with private families to date, while others remain in public structures such as federal asylum centres, civil defense facilities, or former military camps reassigned for the purpose.

Is this really better than private housing? in Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP

Why do authorities prefer the less-comfortable group housing in spartan conditions to accommodation in private homes?

“Some cantonal authorities first want to use the emergency spaces set up, which they have created with great effort”, according to Gaby Szöllösy, Secretary General of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs.

But that’s not the only reason.

Another factor: disillusion

A number of families who took in refugees during the initial wave of solidarity are now having second thoughts about the spontaneous gesture.

Cultural differences and divergent expectations have reportedly sparked tension and conflicts within some host households.

Having guests over an extended period of time “really changes the organisation of a home”, said a retiree from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, who welcomed a mother and her two children into her house.

Others, while driven by noble intentions of offering a home to victims of the war, eventually found their guests to be “too pushy”, “too demanding”, or “disrespectful” of household members and rules, and asked authorities to move the refugees out of their homes.

Still others said they were “fed up” with what they perceive as ungratefulness and unreasonable demands on the part of the refugees.

People who hosted refugee families in Switzerland have compiled a list of comments from their guests, including:

  • “The welcome did not live up to our expectations.”
  • “We expected better as a welcome from a country that is said to be rich.”
  • “I had trouble charging my smartphone.”
  • “The clothes offered by the Swiss Red Cross were of very poor quality.”
  • “The food was just acceptable.”
  • “A month without going to the hairdresser or the manicure is very hard.”
  • “I have to adapt to the local population.”

In some cases, people are now also questioning whether some of those who have received the S status are genuine political refugees or just economic immigrants.

One reader of the 20 Minutes news platform, for example, claimed that some Ukrainians “drive luxury SUVs. These are the normal cars of the pseudo Ukrainian refugees who plan to settle permanently in Switzerland. They take the Swiss for morons”.

However, although some of the original compassion has clearly worn out, many people in Switzerland remain dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable haven for refugees.

It remains to be seen whether Swiss solidarity will continue to weaken or can remain strong over time.

READ MORE: ‘A beautiful country’: How Ukrainian refugees see Switzerland

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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

From attitudes towards foreigners and improvements in work-life balance, Clare O'Dea examines how Switzerland has changed over the last 20 years and how it hasn't ('the Swiss still don't know how to queue'). Her new book All About Switzerland is now available - details below.

Published: 18 May 2024 10:49 CEST
Updated: 21 May 2024 11:25 CEST
OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

In the 20 years that I’ve been writing about Switzerland, I’ve tended to focus on one part of the picture at a time. Standing back from the canvas, I can see that there has been a pretty positive evolution in the country over that time.

The change has happened in measurable ways – an extra 1.6 million inhabitants, for one thing – but also in ways that are difficult to define. What I notice is more tolerance, more questioning of the norm, and more focus on fairness.

Some of this has come about through facing up to the wrongs of the past, whether that’s the historical abuse of children in the care system, the denial of the vote to women for so long (until 1971!), or the seizing of dictators’ assets.

Although it takes a painfully long time, mistakes and injustices do eventually come to light and there has been an appropriate reaction of self-recrimination and reflection towards these wrongs, and a willingness to make amends. All this has made Switzerland a better place.

READ ALSO: Are foreigners to blame if they find the Swiss unfriendly?

The foreign factor

When it comes to foreigners, there has definitely been in a positive change in attitudes towards immigrants from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I detected very strong prejudice against this group in my early years in Switzerland. The second generation has now grown up here and found their place in all walks of Swiss life.

Unfortunately, asylum seekers have borne the brunt of xenophobia in recent years, with the notable exception of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression, who were granted special treatment. Switzerland has welcomed more than 80,000 Ukrainians since 2022, about a quarter of whom have since left the country.

Several cantons, notably Neuchâtel, have led the way in extending more rights to foreign residents and making it easier for them to integrate or obtain Swiss nationality. But naturalisation rates are still low, which is a pity for the Swiss, if only they would realise that.

When I first came to live in Switzerland from Ireland, I benefitted from the newly-valid agreement on the free movement of persons with the EU and EFTA countries. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Swiss and EU/EFTA nationals have been free to move countries for work, adventure, love or retirement.

Those immigrant workers have been a boon to the Swiss economy, which has one of the highest levels of GDP per capita in the world. Travel wise, Switzerland is well and truly integrated into Europe, joining the Schengen Area in 2008.

OPINION: The true signs you are becoming more Swiss than the Swiss

Family matters

Just this week, my twin daughters, who are Swiss citizens, received their first ever ballots for the next federal and cantonal votes on June 9th. Apart from reminding me of the fact that foreigners in Switzerland are largely excluded from the democratic process, this landmark also reminds me of how times have changed in relation to maternity rights.

It is hard to believe that Swiss women did not have statutory paid maternity leave until 2005. Voters had rejected the notion that women should have guaranteed paid leave after giving birth on four previous occasions – 1974, 1984, 1987 and again in 1999.

For all those years, maternity benefits were left up to employers to dictate, which was clearly not enough protection for all mothers. Today, new mothers are entitled to 14 weeks statutory leave but most employers offer more than that. Since 2021, fathers in Switzerland have been entitled to two weeks paternity leave.

There’s definitely room for improvement in the area of work-life balance for families, and there are some ideas in the pipeline, including state subsidies for childcare. With a fertility rate of 1.39 births per woman in 2022, Swiss-born babies is not where population growth is coming from.

Taking turns

One issue that seems almost unfixable in Switzerland is the high cost of healthcare. The country has the second most expensive system in the world, after the United States. Most of the cost is shouldered by households, directly or indirectly.

Whatever about the cost, the care itself is excellent and relatively well staffed. With one in three healthcare workers holding a foreign diploma, including a large proportion of cross-border workers the system is heavily reliant on non-nationals.

On June 9th, Swiss voters will get to decide on two people’s initiatives, both of which aim to curb the cost to consumers. My impression in the past was that the Swiss were reluctant to vote for freebies for themselves. But this may be the right timing for these proposals, considering that voters accepted an initiative in March of this year to increase the state pension by 8 per cent.

When it comes to daily life in Switzerland, politeness and order is the rule, with one exception – the Swiss still don’t know how to queue! I had this experience just the other day waiting outside a small museum that was only letting in a few people at a time. If you can cope with that fundamental flaw, the rest is easy.

All About Switzerland

A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.

Originally from Dublin, Clare O’Dea has lived in Switzerland for two decades. Author of fiction and non-fiction, Clare has had a varied media career in Ireland and Switzerland, with a stint in Russia. She has contributed articles to The Local Switzerland since 2022. Her new book All About Switzerland: Selected articles from The Local Switzerland is Clare’s fourth and is available as an e-book online.

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