EUROPEAN UNION: SWITZERLAND ANSWERS REFERENDUM WITH ONE WORD – NO!

80% of the Swiss population voted against joining the European Union in a referendum held this weekend. The four parties in the government coalition advised the people to vote against the proposal to join, so as not to lose their autonomy. This decision should keep Switzerland out of the EU for at least ten years. To note are the different reactions from the different parts of the country : the Eastern Canton of Glarus voted against joining the EU by 90%, whereas in the Western, French-speaking Canton, Geneva, the No vote was 58%. The Swiss do not want to lose their system of direct democracy – all important decisions are resolved by debate and referendum among the country’s 7.1 million electors. The general feeling in Switzerland is that the country has everything to gain by staying out of the EU and everything to lose by joining.

TIMOTHY BANCROFT-HINCHEY, PRAVDA.RU, LISBON