Switzerland will call voters to the polls this summer to vote in a referendum on a proposal by the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to limit the country’s population to 10 million by 2050.
In the following years, the cap would be adjusted annually by the government to account for any birth surplus.
According to government data, 27% of Swiss residents are not citizens of this country.
This measure would threaten a key agreement with the EU and paralyze the economy, opponents of the idea say, as reported by The Guardian.
The government has announced that the referendum on the SVP initiative, which faces strong opposition in both houses of Parliament as well as from the business community and financial services, will take place on June 10.
The initiative would require the Government and Parliament to take action if the country's permanent population, currently at 9.1 million, exceeds 9.5 million, refusing entry to newcomers, including asylum seekers and families of foreigners already living in the country.
If the population reaches 10 million, additional restrictions will come into effect, and if the number does not begin to decrease, the Government will be obliged to withdraw from the free movement agreement it has with the EU, by far its largest export market.
Switzerland's population has rapidly grown from 7 million in the mid-1990s to over 9 million today.
In the last decade, it has grown about five times faster than the average of surrounding EU member states as its economic success has attracted both low-skilled workers and high-salaried corporate expatriates.
The largest political party in the country, the SVP, argues that the "demographic explosion" is driving up rents and stretching infrastructure and public services to the breaking point.
Divided Population
The party, which has come first in all elections from 1999 to the present, has long campaigned against immigration, highlighting crimes committed by foreigners and publishing images of bloodied knives, hooded criminals, and frightened women.
The radical nationalist changes it frequently proposes, such as the 2016 proposal to automatically deport immigrants found guilty even of minor offenses and the 2020 plan to end free movement with the EU, have generally not been successful.
The Swiss system of direct democracy allows citizens to propose so-called popular initiatives, which are subject to a referendum if they garner 100,000 supporters in 18 months.
These have long been a favored tool of the SVP, but only about 10% of popular initiatives are adopted.
However, a poll conducted in December revealed broad support from 48% of voters for the current initiative, reflecting deep divisions on how open the country wants and needs to be in a rapidly changing world.
Multinationals Oppose
Critics of the initiative, including multinationals like Roche, UBS, and Nestlé, argue that the proposal would jeopardize bilateral agreements with the EU, including a deal reached last year on access to the single market, on which much of Switzerland's prosperity depends.
Economiesuisse, a major business lobby group, has described it as the "initiative of chaos" and warned that many Swiss companies rely on workers from the EU and other European countries, without whom they will have to relocate abroad, affecting tax revenues and services.
Rival parties to the SVP have stated that a close relationship with Europe is Switzerland's only option: around half of the country's total exports are destined for the EU.