Naturalizations Federal Council rejects initiative for simplified naturalization
The Federal Council recommends that the democracy initiative for simplified naturalization be rejected. It will also refrain from submitting a direct or indirect counter-proposal to Parliament.
19.02.2025, 11:12
19.02.2025, 11:27
SDA
In the view of the Federal Council, the initiative significantly encroaches on existing cantonal competencies and the federal structure of the ordinary naturalization procedure, as it wrote in a press release on Wednesday. The three-tier system of Swiss citizenship and the competencies of the respective state level should be retained.
The existing naturalization procedure is governed by federal law as well as cantonal and communal regulations. As a result, naturalization is not regulated uniformly in Switzerland. The initiators of the referendum want to eliminate the differences between the cantons and municipalities and ensure more equal treatment with a uniform naturalization procedure throughout Switzerland.
The democracy initiative also wants to make naturalization easier. It demands that naturalization should be possible after five years of legal residence in Switzerland, regardless of the settlement permit. The prerequisites should be a basic knowledge of a national language and no serious criminal acts.
