How Switzerland could fall out of the Schengen area when voting at the EU borders
Switzerland’s snow-capped ski slopes and idyllic Alpine scenery typically draw more than 10 million visitors a year to the landlocked country, but its open gates could be about to slam if voters turn their backs on Europe’s border police on Sunday.
A vote to withdraw funding from the EU border protection agency Frontex could prove to be one of the most momentous of Switzerland’s many referendums, tearing a hole in the Schengen visa-free zone in what the EU regards as one of its proudest achievements.
Officials in Brussels and Switzerland – which is part of Schengen but not an EU member – say the country cannot have it both ways, enjoying the benefits of open borders without paying for the security of Europe’s perimeter.
But Frontex is deeply unpopular with many activists in Switzerland and across Europe, who accuse it of complicity in human rights abuses and see it as a symbol of hostility towards migrants and refugees.
“Switzerland could use the money to integrate refugees at home instead of using it against refugees abroad,” said Amanuel Hailemariam, a Frontex opponent and a member of a representation of refugees in Switzerland.
Switzerland’s possible “front exit” is the latest in a series of events to test the romantic vision of Schengen, named after the city in Luxembourg where the 1985 Open Borders Agreement was signed.
The 2015 migration crisis, a spate of terrorist attacks in mid-decade and the coronavirus lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 prompted countries to introduce temporary border controls, disrupting supply chains and the functioning of the EU internal market.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has called for a complete overhaul of Schengen with a special council overseeing its operation and better protection of the zone’s external borders.
The EU has already moved in this direction, expanding Frontex from a coordinating body in Warsaw to a standing corps patrolling land and sea borders, which will have 10,000 full-time guards by 2027.
Politicians in Switzerland, which joined the Schengen zone in 2008, agreed last year to more than double funding for Frontex over the next five years from 24 million francs ($24.1 million) to 61 million francs.
But opponents of growing Swiss participation had by January collected the 62,000 signatures needed to trigger a referendum under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy.
Sunday’s ballot will ask voters whether to approve the additional funding and the deployment of dozens of Swiss officers to Frontex, compared to just a handful at present.
Polls show the yes campaign ahead. But an EU official confirmed the stakes are high The National that participation in Schengen “comes with rights and obligations” and that free movement within its borders depends on strong security at its periphery.
They said a decision to avoid Frontex could lead to “the termination” of Switzerland’s association with Schengen and thus its participation in the Dublin agreement on asylum seekers.
“Schengen is one of the greatest achievements of the EU and freedom of movement is valued by citizens, business people and tourists alike,” the official said. “Frontex plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the Schengen area without external border controls.”
Swiss politicians have had a mixed relationship with Brussels in recent months after withdrawing from years of talks over a new cooperation deal but recently agreeing to pass EU sanctions on Russia.
High-level figures have recognized the danger of a Schengen exit in a bid to persuade citizens to back the Frontex package, with Switzerland’s ruling seven-member council recommending a yes.
Karin Keller-Sutter, member of the council, said that leaving Schengen would endanger Swiss security because authorities would lose access to a European database of police and criminal records.
Swiss police access this database hundreds of thousands of times a day, she said, generating about 20,000 hits a year and aiding the country’s fight against terrorism and cross-border crime.
Voters have also been warned of a threat to tourism if visitors outside of Europe have to apply for a separate visa to combine a visit to the Swiss Alps or Geneva with a tour of Germany, France and Italy.
“Our tourism destinations can receive many more guests from overseas since the Schengen visa made Switzerland part of every good European trip,” said Monika Ruehl, chair of the industry lobby group Economie Suisse.
Anti-Frontex activists say it’s not certain that Switzerland will be booted out of Schengen, and believe they are fighting for open borders rather than against them.
Human rights groups have accused Frontex of failing to investigate abuses, and the agency’s Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri resigned last month after pressure from EU investigators.
An official Swiss campaign group is calling for the abolition of Frontex and has left piles of life jackets in city centers and in front of train stations as a symbol of the danger illegal migrants face when crossing the Mediterranean.
But there is also conservative resistance to Frontex. MP Lukas Reimann advocates that Switzerland should not outsource its own border protection to the under-fire agency.
“We cannot rely on the Greek, Bulgarian or Romanian authorities to guarantee our security,” he said.
Updated May 13, 2022 6:42 am