On Sunday, June 14, 2026, Switzerland will vote on the 10 million Switzerland initiative.Image: imago
June 10, 2026, 1:45 p.mJune 10, 2026, 1:45 p.m
The EU member states have prepared for both acceptance and rejection of the “No 10 Million Switzerland” initiative. The Council of the EU is due to take a final position next Tuesday.
A corresponding draft was approved at diplomatic level in Brussels on Wednesday, as the Keystone-SDA news agency learned from diplomatic sources. If approved, the council would “regret” the decision, as the draft read.
“Blick” and the CH Media newspapers have reported on the document in recent days. Keystone-SDA was given access to the confidential draft.
It states that if the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons is terminated, the remaining Bilateral I agreements would automatically be terminated. This would happen regardless of the outcome of the ratification of the bilateral treaty package, also known as Bilateral III. It would also call into question cooperation in other areas such as Schengen, Dublin and research, it continued.
Council will decide on Tuesday
The draft not only addresses the initiative, but also the relationship between Switzerland and the EU in general. These are so-called conclusions. The Council usually adopts conclusions on relations with the states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member, every two years.
Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s vote in Switzerland, the section on the initiative should be retained or deleted completely. The conclusions are due to be adopted by the Council at ministerial level in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
The Swiss electorate will decide on the SVP initiative “No 10 Million Switzerland” on June 14th. This aims to limit immigration. If population growth continues, the Federal Council would have to take measures to slow down growth. As a final measure, he would have to terminate the agreement on the free movement of people with the EU. (nil/sda)