‘A brave act of defiance’ saw Switzerland walk out of talks on a closer trading relationship with the EU. Their rejection of the terms offered – jurisdiction of the European court of justice and permanent residence to EU citizens, with access to social security from day one – could cost the country 1.2 billion euros a year.
Switzerland is the bloc’s fourth biggest trading partner and its economy is closely integrated with the 27 member states. The collapse of the seven year negotiations will lead to a gradual expiration of the present agreements. Until recently the Swiss had a best-of-both-worlds arrangement with bilateral trade agreements, allowing it to function as a member of the single market, though outside the EU customs union and thus allowed to do its own trade deals with third countries.
The Switzerland country chart, 12 September 1848, describes a curiously hybrid creature – overly-serious from a Virgo Sun opposition Saturn and rebellious with a Uranus Pluto conjunction in Aries. There are flutters of uncertainty and concern this year and next from tr Neptune conjunction the Saturn; disruption from Solar Arc Pluto opposition the Uranus this year; and pressure in 2022/23 from tr Pluto square Pluto. 2023/2024 will see tr Pluto trine to trine the Mars and then the financial Venus into 2025 – so it will be a long phase of adjustment.
The Bank of Switzerland, 20 June 1907, looks diminished and panicked this year and on for several years with tr Neptune square the Pluto then the Gemini Sun till late 2024; with heightened uncertainty in 2023 as tr Neptune is conjunct the Saturn. But 2024 will see a confident push from Solar Arc Pluto square the Jupiter which may haul it out of the trough.
It’s not a great mix with the EU since the Switzerland Sun squares the EU’s rigid Saturn in Sagittarius and the Swiss Pluto falls in the EU 8th opposition the Jupiter – for tussles over money.
The relationship chart is being upended this year with the composite Sun and Mercury being tossed and torn by tr Uranus in opposition and tr Saturn in square.
It will make a dent on Switzerland’s immediate prospects but there was never any hope of the locals agreeing to the EU’s terms.
The Swiss have only granted citizenship to those who are either very rich and make Switzerland their only home or those that marry Swiss citizens.
The vast majority that work in Switzerland are EU citizens with no rights to vote or I believe any rights to benefits of any kind. And it has always been that way. The rewards must be pretty good to put up with that rubbish.
Thank you for this interesting article. Swexit? Anyway, the Six Swiss Index is at its highest right now!
Switzerland was never member of the EU anyway. And maybe the date of birth of the Confederation should be calculated from the year 1291 or 9 December 1315.
Could be ironic – there’s brave and there’s costs-too-much
If I’ve read this correctly, it was brave of the Swiss to stand up for themselves. Why then was it incredibly stupid for us to do the same thing?
Because Switzerland is not leaving the EU.
The Swiss aren’t even a member of the EU. They have a close relationship with the EU and their relationship with the EU is governed by multiple treaties on various specific topics.
The EU found this irksome, as after having negotiated within the EU for the 28 (before 2020)/27 member-states to agree to a specific law, it would then have to negotiate a treaty with the Swiss to apply that law to Switzerland. Also the Swiss were not subject to the ECJ (which was one of the red lines of the UK).
The EU wanted to simplify their relationship with the Swiss into a single Institutional Framework Agreement, which would allows EU laws to apply in Switzerland more directly.
It is that Institutional Framework Agreement that the Swiss have rejected (after trying to negotiate it with the EU for the past seven years).
They continue to keep the current patchwork of multiple treaties with the EU and EU citizens still have freedom of movement with the Swiss (but with more limited access to social welfare). Switzerland is also a part of the Schengen Zone, which the UK never was.
So it is not quite the same as Brexit.
The Swiss are not breaking up with the EU. It is just that they are not taking their relationship to the next level, and the EU are not happy about that.