SWITZERLAND: Switzerland has voted in favour of closer co-operation with the European Union, accepting the Schengen and Dublin accords by 54 per cent.
The pro-Europe vote removes systematic border controls between the EU and Switzerland and streamlines asylum procedures.
In a parallel referendum, 58 per cent of Swiss voters also said Yes to a form of gay marriage. This move brings to 16 the number of European countries with a legal framework for same-sex partnerships. However, this is the first time that a nationwide referendum has been held on the issue. Under the new registered partnership law, gay couples will have the same rights as married couples in the areas of pensions, inheritance and tax. Foreign partners will have residency rights but same-sex couples will be unable to adopt or use fertility treatment to become parents.
Turnout was above average for the two referendums, at almost 57 per cent. The votes follow a heated campaign on the Europe question where both sides used pro-law and order arguments to win votes.
Three of the four main political parties supported a Yes vote to Schengen and Dublin. The accords are the latest in a series of nine bilateral EU agreements being implemented in Switzerland.
As part of the vigorous anti-Schengen campaign, a 10-metre high wooden Trojan horse was transported around the country. Police chiefs officially supported Schengen but police and border guards formed a lobby group, Police Against Schengen, and staged a press conference where they presented themselves masked and silent.
Following the Yes vote, Swiss police will have access to the Schengen Information System, a database on cross-border crime.
Police will no longer carry out systematic identity checks at borders but they may still stop and question travellers where they have grounds for suspicion.
There was significant slippage in the Yes vote in the final month before the poll, as the No campaign became more alarmist and dynamic. The rejection of the EU constitution in neighbouring France and in the Netherlands combined with a somewhat sluggish Yes campaign to create room for doubt. However, the Yes vote will allow the Europe question to rest in Switzerland for the moment.
Accepting the Dublin accord gives Switzerland access to Eurodac, the database which is used as a tool to prevent asylum seekers from making applications in more than one signatory State.
Issues relating to migration and integration have proved very divisive in Switzerland, with the right-wing Swiss People's Party accused of making political capital in this area. Some 20 per cent of the Swiss population are foreigners and it is estimated that at least a quarter of that number are second- or third-generation immigrants.
President Samuel Schmid said the Yes vote for Schengen/ Dublin vindicated the government's policy on Europe and the conclusion of bilateral treaties with the EU.