Yesterday, the Swiss Senate voted to withdraw its EU application from 1992 and their Foreign Minister made clear that they would “modernise its bilateral relationship” with the EU.
Parliament has voted to withdraw Switzerland’s dormant application to join the European Union.
The Senate voted on Wednesday to approve a motion from the House of Representatives that essentially calls the old application meaningless. It now falls to the cabinet to communicate this to the EU.
Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said the cabinet would convey the message that Switzerland’s application for EU membership is invalid and should be withdrawn. At the same time, they’ll have to reiterate Switzerland’s determination to modernise its bilateral relationship.
So, what is going on ? Why, after 24 years have the Swiss decided to formally withdraw this dormant EU application ?
Perhaps, this article from last week in the German Die Zeit may help explain things – apologies for the poor translation but you’ll get the gist.
The Swiss even shared the same national anthem. “Hail, Helvetia”, sing the Swiss lustily. On party days, internationals, on August 1, combines the flickering bonfires. The melody said: God save the Queen, the British national anthem . Only in 1961 Switzerland receives its own psalm. Since then “the morning skies” contact the Confederates in a slow rhythm. The queen is silent.
The borrowed anthem is an anecdote certainly, but much more: it shows what Switzerland and the UK connects. The remembrance. The ghost. The political culture. These special relations exist today, since the British vote in two weeks on the withdrawal from the European Union.
In all other European countries, fearing the political establishment before the exit Day. Only right-wing populist and notorious EU phobics hope for the great quake on the island. Unlike in Switzerland, here ogling politicians from left to right with the Proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union . Open and public.A former National Green said: The withdrawal from the EU from Britain would “strengthen Swiss position with respect to the bilateral and regulating the movement of persons crucial”.
A former foreign minister would certainly vote against a Proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union, if they could. Nevertheless, it promises to be much of a United Kingdom, which is outside the Union – and is located together with the Confederation in the Efta: “The UK in this ‘second circle’ of European countries would be more interesting for Switzerland as the current status quo.”
An FDP National weibelt already for this “Super-Efta” in Brussels and London. While the president of the CVP stirs hope among his flock: “Even the discussion of the Proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union is an opportunity.”
Chance, so luck, do the Swiss. Your relationship with the EU is on the rocks, since they have accepted the mass immigration initiative two years ago. Until February 9, 2017, the petition must be implemented. Must immigration be controlled again in Bern. With quotas, maximum figures, with a national priority. It says so in the Constitution. But such an Article 121a bites with the bilateral agreements.
So, why now ?
Simple – because the Swiss see Brexit as a big opportunity to join forces with the UK and negotiate better terms with the EU. Better controls on immigration, and a smaller contribution to the EU coffers.
The Swiss are sending a clear message to the people of Great Britain – ‘Vote to Leave, and we’ll stand with you.’
theneedleblog 
I see Cliff Richard has been cleared of accusations:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3646240/Sir-Cliff-Richard-s-accuser-one-Britain-s-worst-serial-rapists.html
I didn’t believe he was one of the people of interest. His real name was Harry Webb so I think that would have been the name on the Mary Moss docs. That brings them into suspicion.
Reblogged this on TheFlippinTruth.
Well she is dead now. Murdered. Slaughtered. Senselessly ripped out of the lives of her children and her husband.
This is the statement of her husband.https://twitter.com/JakubKrupa/status/743487683482292226
The tragic death of Jo Cox should be a wake-up call.
It’s a terrible tragedy.
As someone who is voting to leave the EU to reclaim our democracy, the murder of a democratically elected representative is counter to my principles.
Sad though that some will seek to exploit this tragedy for their own agenda.
Yeah sailed a yacht out of Tutzing many years ago with friends. We are as a family right on the fault line of the EU – I am a Brit she is a German.
I talk about finance with my retired banker father in law. He/they can’t get their head around the dark things Britain has had to learn the last four years.
We expats discuss issues often on our forum Toytown Germany of which I was one of its earliest members:
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/
This country was a brilliant safe place to raise kids until last September, when it changed overnight.
Just heard btw about the Labour MP. let us pray for her she will be okay.
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Gojam – I speak German to University level. Should you ever need translation help I’d be happy to do so. I often polish translated English proposals for my wife’s firm.
I cut the hedge for a German doctor friend of mine this morning. The refugee crisis is a disaster down here (we have a 300 person “igloo” near our town), yet she told me her peers aren’t allowed to say anything yet in private “Jeder kocht” (everyone is boiling with anger).
The solution to our problems is to reject the EU / globalism / NWO towards nationalism, then one step further to regionalism. Here Bavaria would be a logical unit, as it is one of the richest states in Germany.
Many of us Brits “awoke” in 2012 at the time your blog arose. Am I right in thinking even the UK in general isn’t yet aware how dark this aspect of the globalist movement is. If Europe really knew the truth there would be major earthquakes.
Thanks JS. I used to live in Bavaria for a while – on Stanbergersee, I don’t know if you know it ? A little place called Tutzing ?
I feel very sorry for the people living there right now – I hope they understand that those wanting to leave the EU are not, by and large, anti German or anti- European, just anti-EU, or at least against what it has become.
I think Merkel was wrong to offer hundreds of thousands of refugees a home in Germany and put so much pressure on the Schengen area but that is politics, you can change the leader, what is really disturbing in my view is that people are being bullied into not criticising the consequences and the press are pressured not to report negative incidents.
This, for me, is very dangerous. Most people don’t want to vote for nationalist or populist candidates but when every ‘moderate’ candidate has exactly the same approach – what is the alternative?
“Harry Lime: Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
We’ve already heard about the ‘possibility’ of a Post-Brexit Renaissance.
Good fortune to all, under our ‘Bor(is)gias’.
lol, you’re stretching if that is the best you can come up with.