The three-country bridge between Hüningen in France and Weil am Rhein is a landmark of the Basel region. image: yal
interview
Due to an EU reform, Switzerland should in future pay for unemployed cross-border commuters. And Switzerland, with its 10 million people, also employs people in neighboring countries, for example Diana Stöcker, the mayor of Weil am Rhein (DE), which is near Basel. So it’s high time for a cross-border conversation.
May 25, 2026, 2:02 p.mMay 25, 2026, 2:19 p.m
Weil am Rhein is practically a suburb of Basel. Anyone who crosses the border on the tram hardly notices where the medium-sized German city begins. The mayor here is Diana Stöcker from the bourgeois CDU. The 56-year-old is strongly committed to cooperation in the border triangle, which she now sees threatened by the 10 million Swiss population. In the interview she talks about the consequences of the initiative, the planned EU reform for unemployed cross-border commuters and Friedrich Merz, whom Stöcker experienced personally. We meet her in the town hall of Weil am Rhein. Behind her desk hangs the art of a Basel native. She is a friend of Switzerland, says Stöcker in an interview.
Ms. Stöcker, one might think that, as the mayor of a German border town, you would be able to observe the Swiss votes up close but in a relaxed manner. Are you looking forward to June 14th calmly?
The “Switzerland of 10 million” worries me. The Basel area and northwestern Switzerland thrive on the free movement of people, which is threatened by the SVP initiative. From Weil am Rhein alone, 3,700 cross-border commuters travel to Basel or another canton in northwestern Switzerland every day – a total of 39,000 commuters from the Waldshut and Lörrach districts. These are people who carry out important tasks in healthcare, in pharmaceuticals, in retail, in practically all industries and that is how they earn their money.
The freedom of movement of people would be terminated if Switzerland reached the 10 million limit before 2050. There are enough options to avert this scenario, says the SVP. What do you say?
It’s not just that. Switzerland lives from Europeans who work, pay taxes and shop in different cantons. And I’m also worried that accepting the initiative will harm the bilateral three. Far be it from me to criticize a Swiss initiative. But I believe that Switzerland would be more isolated after a yes vote. I also ask myself: What does it mean for culture in Switzerland if, in principle, for every Swiss citizen, one foreigner is not allowed to live in the country?
To person
Diana Stocker is the mayor of Weil am Rhein, Germany. The city with 33,000 inhabitants borders on Basel. Stöcker also chairs the council of the “Trinational Eurodistrict Basel” and in this role advocates for the interests of the region. Between 2021 and 2024, the 56-year-old was in the Bundestag for the CDU, and before that she served as mayor of Rheinfelden, Germany. Today she says about politics in Berlin that it has comparatively little to do with the lives of the population.
Diana Stöcker was a member of the German Bundestag for three years. Image: www.imago-images.de
How would Weil am Rhein feel if the initiative was accepted?
Collaboration with Basel is extremely important today and thrives on openness. That’s why I don’t even want to think about that scenario, to be honest. We have 33,000 inhabitants, but the numbers regarding blue light operations or mail volume correspond to those of a city with 100,000 people because we are so closely linked to Basel. We can only solve many of these tasks if an exchange of mutual support and ideas is possible.
Why should voters in other, perhaps more centrally located places care what consequences an initiative in a border region might have?
I’ll apply this to Germany: We have economically very strong federal states like Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and less strong ones like the federal state of Berlin. However, these benefit from the payments made by the strong federal states into the state financial equalization system. So I would say to those people: The entire country benefits from economically strong border regions.
Federal Councilor Beat Jans said in an interview with Watsonthat after a yes vote, companies could rely more on cross-border commuters because they are allowed to bring in fewer skilled workers from abroad. Would you have anything against more taxpayers in Weil bringing Swiss wages with them?
I doubt it would be that easy. This system also has its limits. Many people from all over Germany are already moving to Weil am Rhein and neighboring communities to work in Switzerland. We hardly have any options left to create new living space. In addition, Switzerland would then have even more commuters who would put a strain on the roads. And of course we also have people who work and live here. They can already barely afford the high housing costs.
The interview took place on Friday afternoon. After that, Stöcker still had a few dossiers to work through.image: yal
Germany is also taking a strict migration course. On the trams to Weil am Rhein, border officials check IDs, which you support. How does this fit with your attitude towards Switzerland with 10 million people?
It’s about two different topics. We have reached a capacity limit when it comes to illegal migration in Germany, for example when it comes to accommodation and the associated costs. Too many people come not because they are being persecuted or their lives are threatened, but for economic reasons. As long as the EU continues to implement control mechanisms for migration, we need these border controls. But the SVP initiative only harms labor migration.
Wait, the initiative text says that the Federal Council must first address asylum migration in order to limit the population.
Since we have had border controls, illegal migration has decreased noticeably. We hoped that this would create a domino effect and that there would be more controls at the Swiss border with Italy. As far as I know, the SVP would support this. But the initiative does not solve the problem.
«Switzerland is vital for us. I don’t want to imagine an isolated Switzerland.”
Let’s now talk about an announced EU reform. This could result in Switzerland having to pay out hundreds of millions of francs for cross-border commuters who have lost their jobs. Previously, insurance was provided in the country of origin. Do you think it’s right that Switzerland should pay for German citizens?
Every cross-border commuter pays into the Swiss social security system. I think it’s only logical that those who deposit also have a right to these funds. You have to see: German cross-border commuters are currently paying a surplus into the Swiss social security system, which is probably used differently. I am of the opinion that there needs to be a balance.
The reform of the EU also affects other countries. In Switzerland, however, it was perceived as targeted control by the EU. Do you sometimes wish there wasn’t this anti-Brussels reflex in Switzerland?
I can understand that a person who is not interested in the EU has no understanding. Perhaps this should be communicated better to Switzerland in Brussels. At the same time, certain media stimulate this defensive reflex.
You were CDU members of the German Bundestag until 2024. How does Berlin view Switzerland?
Switzerland is said to be an important trading partner and a strong country. By the way, the Swiss embassy in Berlin is located between the House of Representatives, Parliament and the Federal Chancellery. There is a great cultural proximity and a lot of respect. In Berlin, however, the needs of the border region around Basel are far away and do not play a role.
When you were a member of parliament, Friedrich Merz was still a council colleague of yours. What type of person is he actually?
Friedrich Merz is very open, a good conversationalist and different from what is often portrayed. He is someone who has values and can be very emotional. It was often said that he was arrogant and looked down on people. I haven’t experienced that. I actually believe that some of his expressions and sayings that are doing the rounds in the media were born out of an emotional concern.
Diana Stöcker believes that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is not aloof.Image: DPA
In the Bundestag you were a member of the Franco-German parliamentary assembly. However, both countries are currently economically and politically weak and so is Europe with them, it seems. Agreed?
In the last legislative period I would have agreed with you. Olaf Scholz, the then Chancellor, couldn’t do anything with the German-French friendship and Emmanuel Macron. His traffic light government at the time did not have a common course regarding Europe. Things are different with Friedrich Merz: He has a clear stance and is a great friend of France, which strengthens Europe. But governing with the SPD is not easy when it comes to labor and social issues. The Merz government would be even stronger if Germany were more closely aligned with Switzerland’s pragmatic, self-reliant approach.
Ms. Stöcker, will Switzerland be a worse neighbor if it accepts the SVP initiative?
I have been working across borders for 27 years. Many good friendships were formed there. And Switzerland is vital for us. That’s why I say again: I don’t want to imagine an isolated Switzerland.