Explosive statement in the National Council SVP politician slips out a statement on the termination of the free movement of persons
In the middle of the debate on minimum wages, SVP National Councillor Paolo Pamini suddenly spoke about the termination of the free movement of persons. In doing so, he said out loud what many in his party would rather not emphasize before the vote.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In the National Council, SVP National Councillor Paolo Pamini made a direct link between the 10 million initiative and a later termination of the free movement of persons.
- In doing so, he contradicted the more cautious communication line of other SVP exponents, who emphasized during the referendum campaign that termination was only the last option or possibly not even necessary.
- However, the text of the initiative explicitly states that the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons should be terminated if the Swiss resident population grows to over ten million people before 2050.
The conservative members of the National Council and Council of States want to prevent the cantons from introducing their own minimum wages. This should apply wherever there is a generally binding collective labor agreement.
The clear yes vote in parliament was to be expected. Civic politicians argued that wages should be negotiated between employers and trade unions and not at the ballot box. The left, on the other hand, argued that it was problematic in terms of democratic policy if agreements under private law were given more weight than cantonal referendums. In addition, minimum wages were necessary to ensure that full-time work protected against poverty.
SVP politician speaks of subsequent dismissal
However, a speech by Ticino SVP National Councillor Paolo Pamini caused a brief stir. He linked the minimum wage debate with migration and claimed that higher minimum wages would further increase the competitive pressure on locals from foreign workers. He then added: "On June 14, we have the opportunity to counteract this with a clear yes to the sustainability initiative and a subsequent termination of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons."
The statement comes as a surprise because the SVP leadership has so far not taken a uniform line when it comes to the question of the extent to which the free movement of persons is actually called into question by the initiative.
In any case, the signature sheet used by the SVP to collect 114,430 signatures did not prominently mention the termination of the free movement of persons. Only those who studied the small print of the initiative text could see that the termination of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons was envisaged as the final measure.
SVP cadres speak of "last resort"
Even during the referendum campaign, leading SVP representatives usually avoid presenting the termination of the free movement of persons as a declared goal. SVP President Marcel Dettling, for example, said in the NZZ that termination was not necessary if the Federal Council took decisive action against immigration. He followed this up on SRF's "Arena": If effective measures were finally implemented, Switzerland might never reach the ten million mark. Then the question of termination would not even arise.
SVP National Councillor Mike Egger expressed similar sentiments at a recent party meeting. He emphasized that he did not fear any conflicts with the EU. And Fribourg SVP National Councillor Nicolas Kolly told SRF: "Our initiative is not a Swiss Brexit." Especially not because, in his view, it could be implemented without terminating the free movement of persons - for example by first addressing asylum, family reunification or protection clauses.
SP Co-President Cédric Wermuth reacted promptly to Pamini's statement in the National Council. He asked the Ticino native directly: "You said that June 14 was about the termination of the free movement of persons. Can you confirm that you just said this in the chamber?"
Pamini then rowed back. The question was important, he replied evasively. "If we reach the threshold of ten million inhabitants, the termination of freedom of movement is the very last measure."
Politician is afraid of termination, but says yes
The fact that SVP politicians are relativizing their own initiative shortly before the vote was also noticed by the NZZ am Sonntag. The newspaper quoted Bernese SVP politician Manfred Bühler as saying: "There is far too much focus on these ten million. That is more of a symbolic value."
Andreas Michel, a member of the Bernese SVP council, also announced in the NZZ am Sonntag that he would vote in favor of the initiative, although he warns against terminating the free movement of persons. His argument: "I am convinced that this initiative will be implemented with a sense of proportion in practice."
However, the text of the initiative itself is clear. It stipulates that the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU must be "terminated at the earliest possible date" if Switzerland's permanent resident population exceeds the ten million mark before 2050. At the end of 2025, Switzerland's permanent resident population was 9,124,288 people.
