Yes, citizens are happy like that, we are in Schengen + various commercial agreements and that seems to be enough.
They fear the EU obligations and want to stay independent.
Plus the population language division that is always the same, western French speaking Switzerland tends to vote green and yes to EU or whatever. Eastern German speaking votes the opposite. The Italian part usually votes like the French part but it’s almost as they are inexistant and they remain hidden in their sunny corner to avoid being annoyed.
A very usual vote result looks like that:
(French part = Oui, Italian part = Si, German cities = Ja, German country side = Nein.
If you zoom in you can find green spots in the ocean of red, those are often the cities like Zurich, Bern etc. The red spots in the green part are often rich peoples areas, like on the right side of Geneva where you have those multi million lakeside houses that votes very right to stay rich)
On the political side there’s not really a anti-EU atmosphere, more like a remain neutral one. As always the right wants no changes and the left is pushing for them. Politics doesn’t have a huge power in Switzerland anyway, they work for us and not the other way around.
Politics also push the idea that Switzerland can keep having its cake (stay out of the EU) and eat it (enjoy best trade/energy/population movement).
It has been working so far so why change it, right?
If I remeber correctly the EU is Switzerland’s #1 trading partner.
However, I fear the EU is starting (or will soon start to) to be fed with the Switzerland cherry picking in their relationship.
With the world becoming more and more realpolitik Switzerland might realise she doesn’t have that much leverage against a block of EU’s size.
Well anyway as long as the EU doesn’t put order in its own house, Swiss will always refuse joining until forced to. It’s one of the few subject where both left and (extreme) right agrees on, even if for different reasons (protect salaries against dumping VS culture war bullshit “dictate from foreign judges” in general).
So your citizen are happy with the current state and due to political oppositions (to the EU) will Switzerland not join the EU anytime soon?
Yes, citizens are happy like that, we are in Schengen + various commercial agreements and that seems to be enough.
They fear the EU obligations and want to stay independent.
Plus the population language division that is always the same, western French speaking Switzerland tends to vote green and yes to EU or whatever. Eastern German speaking votes the opposite. The Italian part usually votes like the French part but it’s almost as they are inexistant and they remain hidden in their sunny corner to avoid being annoyed.
A very usual vote result looks like that:
(French part = Oui, Italian part = Si, German cities = Ja, German country side = Nein. If you zoom in you can find green spots in the ocean of red, those are often the cities like Zurich, Bern etc. The red spots in the green part are often rich peoples areas, like on the right side of Geneva where you have those multi million lakeside houses that votes very right to stay rich)
On the political side there’s not really a anti-EU atmosphere, more like a remain neutral one. As always the right wants no changes and the left is pushing for them. Politics doesn’t have a huge power in Switzerland anyway, they work for us and not the other way around.
Politics also push the idea that Switzerland can keep having its cake (stay out of the EU) and eat it (enjoy best trade/energy/population movement). It has been working so far so why change it, right? If I remeber correctly the EU is Switzerland’s #1 trading partner.
However, I fear the EU is starting (or will soon start to) to be fed with the Switzerland cherry picking in their relationship. With the world becoming more and more realpolitik Switzerland might realise she doesn’t have that much leverage against a block of EU’s size.
Well anyway as long as the EU doesn’t put order in its own house, Swiss will always refuse joining until forced to. It’s one of the few subject where both left and (extreme) right agrees on, even if for different reasons (protect salaries against dumping VS culture war bullshit “dictate from foreign judges” in general).