Go it alone (Switzerland)
In Swiss politics, going it alone is the strategy of keeping political ties with the European Union in particular and the rest of the world in general at a low level. The term is related to some peculiarities of Swiss foreign and domestic policy. From 1648 onwards, Switzerland kept out of world politics. Switzerland was spared the devastation of the First and Second World War and therefore had an excellent starting position in the economic competition between states from 1945 onwards.
Switzerland's no to joining the EEA
The dispute between those forces who insisted on this model and those who wanted to adapt to the changed world situation after 1989 escalated in the run-up to the vote on Switzerland's accession to the EEA . Both the Federal Council (the government of Switzerland) and parliament, as well as the majority of the major parties, had voted in favor of membership. Since the Federal Council had not expected a no, it submitted an application to join the EU in Brussels at the beginning of 1992, signaling that joining the EEA was just one step towards full EU membership. This was a critical mistake. Now the opposing forces have been able to transform the vote on stronger economic cooperation with the European partners, which had already been successfully tested within the framework of EFTA , into a highly emotional vote on Swiss culture and tradition ( direct democracy , military neutrality, etc.). Right-wing conservative circles maintained that many of these Swiss peculiarities could only be preserved by going it alone. Switzerland must maintain its independence and protect itself from the European bureaucracy .
The vote turned into a debacle for the political establishment. 50.3% of those who voted voted no on December 6, 1992; there was also a majority (16 out of 23 no) against joining the EEA. Since then, the dispute between supporters and opponents of a strong integration of Switzerland into the European environment has been a frequent topic in Swiss domestic politics. In June 2016, Switzerland officially withdrew the application for membership.
The bilateral way
As an alternative to joining the EEA, the opponents in the referendum campaign touted going it alone and taking the bilateral path. In the years that followed, the government mitigated the negative consequences of non-accession with bilateral negotiations between Switzerland and the EU, which ended in two comprehensive treaty packages (see: Bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU )
A referendum was called against these treaty packages by those circles that had also opposed accession to the EEA.
Again, going it alone was hailed as the best way to go. With the gradual entry into force of these bilateral agreements, the pressure on Switzerland to integrate itself more closely into the European landscape was reduced, but at the same time it became clear that Switzerland could not go it alone in an increasingly politically and economically globalized world. This was expressed on the one hand in structural reforms, for example of the Swiss Army, which is now more or less NATO- compatible (although Switzerland is not a member), and on the other hand in the fact that all European political votes (with the exception of the “Yes to Europe » , which in 2001 had demanded the immediate start of accession negotiations with the EU) were won over by the pro-European forces (including the referendums on the bilateral agreements, the extension of the free movement of persons (part of the bilateral agreements I) to the new EU member states, the Joining Schengen / Dublin).
Switzerland's accession to the United Nations in 2001 (which was also opposed by means of a referendum) is a sign that neither (most) parties nor the electorate consider Switzerland to go it alone as practicable.
Advocate going it alone
Politically speaking, the right-wing conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) made a name for itself when it voted against the EEA and has since risen from the “fourth-strongest” to the “most electoral” party in Switzerland. It was the only one of the Bundesrat parties at that time (parties that represent at least one of the seven Federal Councilors (ministers)) that opposed joining the EEA (and thus against its own Bundesrat).
Then as now, the SVP forms the backbone of the alternative Swiss political forces. Christoph Blocher , then president of the SVP cantonal section in Zurich, excelled at the EEA rejection. His election to the Federal Council in 2003 and his election in 2007 can be seen as one of the strongest political shifts in power in decades.
Blocher rose to become a political star through the EEA vote. As a “strong man” in his party, he had a decisive influence on the tightening, isolated, direct-democratic and right-wing conservative course of the SVP (also in the cantonal sections of Bern and Graubünden, which were formerly considered to be more moderate).
The campaign against joining the EEA made Blocher the political parade horse of Switzerland. The term “going it alone” is associated both with a period of the SVP and with Christoph Blocher's political career (for example, years earlier he had held the referendum against the introduction of summer time in Switzerland).
While the SVP represents the bulk of the isolationists, the Action for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland (AUNS) is their spearhead. The AUNS aims to prevent any foreign rapprochement, however insignificant, with initiatives, referendums and voting campaigns. The longstanding president was Christoph Blocher until his election to the Federal Council.
Opponent of going it alone
The no to joining the EEA led to a temporary alienation of the German-speaking and the French-speaking parts of the country. Since the French-speaking groups voted, unlike the German-speaking majority, to join the EEA, the term “Röstigraben” was once again hyped as an expression of a marked difference in voting behavior between German- and French-speaking Switzerland. In the vast majority of the later votes, the lack of a "Röstigraben" was found, which speaks for the internal cohesion of Switzerland and exposes the term as what it was from the beginning: a headline and not an analytically useful quantity. The fact is, however, that the traditionally more open-minded, more EU-friendly French-speaking Switzerland (French-speaking Switzerland) adapted to the majority (which probably also has to do with the advance of the Swiss People's Party (SVP) through the establishment of local and cantonal sections in the region).
The only Federal Council party that is still unreservedly in favor of Switzerland joining the EU is the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP), although some of the national and state councils of the SP were also critical of joining the EU .
The political center, which consists of the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) and the FDP, the Liberals (FDP), is now strongly leaning towards the bilateral path. The FDP in particular has changed course from being EU-friendly to being critical of the EU.
The spearhead of EU supporters in Switzerland today is the New European Movement Switzerland (NEBS), which emerged from the merger of various groups .
Conclusion
Switzerland's going it alone, understood as not interfering in “foreign affairs” or staying out of the military conflicts of neighboring countries, has in retrospect turned out to be a wise strategy. At the same time, however, at the latest with the end of the Cold War and the founding of the EU, going it alone, understood as non-cooperation in economic and political terms, turned out to be a dead end. However, through the bilateral route, Switzerland found successful economic and political cooperation with the EU.
The term “going it alone” is hardly used any more in the political discussion.
See also
literature
- Boris Lazar: Freedom, Responsibility and Switzerland's Accession to the EU. Speech on the occasion of the "Head of Missions Lunch Meeting" by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic on March 16, 2009 in the Kursaal Bern. In: Nicolas G. Hayek, Josef F. Kümin (editor): Freedom & Responsibility series. Volume 4, Society and Church Where to? Membership letter No. 233, Lachen SZ / Freedom & Responsibility Foundation, Kriens LU 2009.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ After 24 years: Switzerland withdraws application to join the EU. In: Spiegel Online . June 15, 2016
- ↑ Martin Wilhelm in the Basler Zeitung : Swiss letter to the EU - "the Federal Council informs you ...". ( Memento from July 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ SP politicians turn their backs on the EU. In: Tages-Anzeiger . July 3, 2011