ECONOMIST: Upcoming referendums will show how the Swiss may relate to the EU
經濟學人:即將到來的公投將顯示瑞士與歐盟的關係
A proposal to end freedom of movement with the EU will probably fail終止與歐盟的行動自由的提議可能會失敗
Operation libero is planning something, but it won’t say what. The Swiss liberal activist group is known for its creative campaigns against referendums launched by the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (svp). On September 27th the latest such initiative, to end freedom of movement with the eu, comes to a vote, and Operation Libero plans to stage an unspecified media stunt. The aim is to tease the country’s politicians, not for doing too much to integrate into the eu, but for doing too little. 「They think Swiss people don’t want [more integration] with the eu, but that’s not true,」 says Laura Zimmermann, the group’s co-head. 「Times have changed.」
自由行動正在計劃什麼,但它不會說什麼。瑞士自由活動團體以其反對右翼民粹主義瑞士人民黨(svp)發起的公投的創造性運動而聞名。9月27日,最新的此類倡議——結束與歐盟的行動自由——進入投票階段,自由行動計劃上演一場未指明的媒體噱頭。其目的是戲弄該國的政治家,不是因為他們在融入歐盟方面做得太多,而是因為他們做得太少。「他們認為瑞士人不希望與歐盟(進一步融合),但事實並非如此,」該組織的聯合負責人蘿拉·齊默曼(laura zimmermann)表示。「時代變了。」
If so, Operation Libero deserves some credit. For decades the tone of Swiss politics has been set by the anti-immigrant svp, the country’s biggest party. In 2014 an svp initiative to renegotiate the treaty that lets eu citizens live and work freely in Switzerland (and vice versa) unexpectedly won 50.3% of the vote. That prompted a circle of young liberals headed by Flavia Kleiner, then 24, to launch Operation Libero. Their volunteers ran outreach campaigns under a bright-pink logo. Rather than argue on the populists』 terms, the group recast the debate. When the svp proposed expelling foreigners who commit even minor crimes, Operation Libero framed it as an assault on Switzerland’s precious rule of law.
如果是這樣,自由行動應該得到一些讚揚。幾十年來,瑞士政治的基調一直是由反移民決定的svp這個國家最大的政黨。2014年svp重新談判條約的倡議歐盟公民在瑞士自由生活和工作(反之亦然)出人意料地贏得了50.3%的選票。這促使當時24歲的弗拉維亞·克萊納(Flavia Kleiner)領導的一群年輕的自由主義者發起了自由行動。他們的志願者在一個亮粉色的標誌下開展外聯活動。該團體沒有就民粹主義者的條款進行辯論,而是重新發起了辯論。當svp提議驅逐犯有輕微罪行的外國人,自由行動組織認為這是對瑞士寶貴的法治的攻擊。
Since then, all of the svp’s big initiatives have lost. Polls show the current one will probably fail too, with about 60% of Swiss opposed. Many voters have learned from the 2014 initiative: the eu refused to negotiate and the Swiss gave in. The svp’s new, tougher proposal would force the government to scrap the treaty if it has not reached a new one within a year. But seven crucial treaties with the eu are covered by a 「guillotine clause」 that suspends all of them if only one is abrogated. Few Swiss imagine they have much leverage in Brussels.
從那以後,所有的svp美國的重大舉措已經失敗。民調顯示,目前的選舉可能也會失敗,大約60%的瑞士人反對。許多選民從2014年的倡議中學到了什麼歐盟拒絕談判,瑞士人讓步了。這svp如果在一年內沒有達成新的條約,美國新的更強硬的提議將迫使政府廢除該條約。但是七個重要的條約歐盟被一個「斷頭臺條款」所覆蓋,如果只有一個被廢除,這個條款就會中止所有的死刑。很少有瑞士人認為他們在布魯塞爾有很大的影響力。
The next fight will come after the vote. The eu wants the Swiss to sign an 「institutional framework agreement」 that requires them automatically to adopt shifts in eu rules unless they specifically object. (Currently there is no obligation, but they generally follow anyway for fear of losing market access.) The two sides reached an agreement last year, but the Swiss have held off putting it to parliament until after the referendum. Thomas Aeschi, the svp’s parliamentary leader, warns that under the framework agreement eu rules could restrict the cherished autonomy of the Swiss cantons and stop them granting tax breaks.
下一場戰鬥將在投票後進行。這歐盟希望瑞士人籤署一份「制度框架協議」,要求他們自動接受轉變歐盟除非他們明確反對。(目前沒有義務,但一般都是死活跟著,怕失去市場準入。)雙方去年達成協議,但瑞士方面已將此事推遲至公投後提交議會。託馬斯·艾斯奇svp美國國會領袖警告說,根據框架協議歐盟規則可能會限制瑞士各州珍視的自主權,並阻止它們給予稅收優惠。
「I think that would be a good thing,」 laughs Balthasar Glättli, the head of the Swiss Green Party. But the Greens worry that the framework agreement might undercut minimum-wage guarantees. The justice minister, Karin Keller-Sutter of the centre-right Liberals, backs the deal, as do drug firms and banks. But there is no majority for it in the seven-member Federal Council that rules the country.
「我認為這是一件好事,」瑞士綠黨領袖巴爾薩澤·格拉特利笑著說。但是綠黨擔心框架協議可能會削弱最低工資保障。司法部長,中間偏右的自由黨人卡琳·凱勒-薩特支持這項協議,製藥公司和銀行也是如此。但是在統治這個國家的七人聯邦委員會中,沒有多數人支持它。
Swiss attitudes are mixed. Sotomo, a pollster, finds that most of them want a framework agreement with the eu rather than the current patchwork of treaties, but other polls show less support. Still, the svp has lost momentum; the Green and Liberal Green parties were the big winners in elections last year. Ms Kleiner, who recently stepped down from Operation Libero (「I turned 30,」 she explains), thinks this a good moment to try out new political narratives. Switzerland is a conservative country, but it may also be ready for a change.
瑞士人的態度喜憂參半。民意測驗專家索託莫發現,他們中的大多數人都希望與美國政府達成框架協議歐盟而不是目前拼湊的條約,但其他民調顯示支持度較低。儘管如此svp已經失去了動力;綠黨和自由綠黨是去年選舉的大贏家。克萊納女士最近從「自由行動」(她解釋道,「我已經30歲了」)中退下來,她認為這是嘗試新的政治敘事的好時機。瑞士是一個保守的國家,但它也可能準備好改變。
本文章原文來自經濟學人,不代表公眾號立場
英文文章及圖片來源:
https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/09/26/upcoming-referendums-will-show-how-the-swiss-may-relate-to-the-eu
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