Switzerland is ticking towards a tighter deal with the EU
Alarmed voters worry it will limit their tradition of direct democracy
Switzerland and Britain share two qualities: a fondness for cheese, and ambivalence towards the European Union. Lately both countries are contemplating drawing closer to the bloc. But while Britain has taken only a few tentative steps on youth travel and fish, the Swiss are moving towards resetting the entire relationship. At the end of 2024 they concluded negotiations on a deal that would synchronise their complex mechanism of treaties with the EU into a single coherent framework. The Swiss government presented it as a ringing triumph. But some of its citizens, who will eventually have the final say via a referendum, are getting a bit wound up.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Integration watch”
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