Enlargement of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The enlargement of Switzerland by way of the admission of new cantons to the Swiss Confederation ended in 1815. After a failed attempt of Vorarlberg
to join Switzerland in 1919, the idea of resuming Swiss enlargement was revived in 2010 by a parliamentary motion of 28 right-wing members of the Swiss federal parliament. Their proposal would change Swiss law to allow French, German, Austrian or Italian border regions to join the Confederation, should the majority of the population in these regions request this. As possible candidates for accession, the motion names Alsace
(F), Aosta (I), South Tyrol
(I), Jura (F), Vorarlberg
(A), Ain
(F), Savoie
(F), Baden-Württemberg
(D), Varese
(I), Como
(I) "and others".
The motion is set to be voted on in the Swiss National Council in 2010. It was greeted with derision in Swiss politics and rejected by the federal government
, but has attracted the attention of the European media after online polls in some of the regions concerned appeared to show widespread support for an accession to Switzerland.
Switzerland, a multilingual federation
of 26 cantons whose origins lie in a defensive alliance of alpine valleys around the end of the 13th century, has historically grown through the accession of states of varied cultural and political background (see: Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
). The last enlargement of Switzerland occurred in 1815 with the accession of Valais
, Neuchâtel
and Geneva
.
Subsequent enlargement proposals failed. Notably, in a 1919 referendum, 81% of the people of Vorarlberg voted to join Switzerland, but the effort failed because of the ambivalent position of the Swiss government and the opposition of the Austrian government and the Allied powers.
Swiss enlargements prior to the founding of the modern federal state in 1848 were made by extending a network of treaties and alliances to the new members of the Old Swiss Confederacy
. Since there is currently no legal framework governing the admission of new cantons, any enlargement would, as a matter of Swiss law, require an amendment of the Swiss federal constitution
and therefore a national popular referendum.
(SVP), Switzerland's largest and co-governing party, is mainly directed against the European Union
(EU), which the SVP strongly opposes. The proposal, which was submitted by Jurassian
representative Dominique Baettig
and co-signed by SVP party chairman Toni Brunner
, argues that the border regions are neglected by and desire autonomy from their central governments and from the EU. It proposes to offer these regions the "Swiss model of sovereignty" as an alternative to a "creeping accession" of Switzerland to the "centralist" EU.
In a statement of 19 May 2010, the Swiss Federal Council
recommended rejecting the motion. It argued that its adoption would be considered an unfriendly act by the countries surrounding Switzerland, and that it would also be at odds with international law
, which in the government's view does not provide for a right to secession
except in exceptional circumstances.
No official reactions by European governments to the SVP motion were reported by June 2010; a Swiss newspaper requesting a comment by the German embassy was answered by laughter. The media, however, reported on a surprisingly high level of apparent popular support for joining Switzerland (as reflected in Internet polls and comments) in some of the regions at issue:
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
to join Switzerland in 1919, the idea of resuming Swiss enlargement was revived in 2010 by a parliamentary motion of 28 right-wing members of the Swiss federal parliament. Their proposal would change Swiss law to allow French, German, Austrian or Italian border regions to join the Confederation, should the majority of the population in these regions request this. As possible candidates for accession, the motion names Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
(F), Aosta (I), South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
(I), Jura (F), Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
(A), Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
(F), Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
(F), Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
(D), Varese
Province of Varese
The Province of Varese is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese but its largest city is Busto Arsizio....
(I), Como
Province of Como
The Province of Como is a province in the north of the Lombardy region of Italy and borders the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni to the North, the Italian provinces of Sondrio and Lecco to the East, the Province of Milan to the south and the Province of Varese to the West...
(I) "and others".
The motion is set to be voted on in the Swiss National Council in 2010. It was greeted with derision in Swiss politics and rejected by the federal government
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
, but has attracted the attention of the European media after online polls in some of the regions concerned appeared to show widespread support for an accession to Switzerland.
History
- For a list of Swiss cantons by year of accession, see Cantons of Switzerland.
Switzerland, a multilingual federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
of 26 cantons whose origins lie in a defensive alliance of alpine valleys around the end of the 13th century, has historically grown through the accession of states of varied cultural and political background (see: Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy
The growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy began as an alliance between the communities of the valleys in the Central Alps to facilitate the management of common interests such as free trade and to ensure the peace along the important trade routes through the mountains...
). The last enlargement of Switzerland occurred in 1815 with the accession of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
, Neuchâtel
Canton of Neuchâtel
Neuchâtel is a canton of French speaking western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782 of which 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.-History:...
and Geneva
Canton of Geneva
The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France. As is the case in several other Swiss cantons The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland,...
.
Subsequent enlargement proposals failed. Notably, in a 1919 referendum, 81% of the people of Vorarlberg voted to join Switzerland, but the effort failed because of the ambivalent position of the Swiss government and the opposition of the Austrian government and the Allied powers.
Swiss enlargements prior to the founding of the modern federal state in 1848 were made by extending a network of treaties and alliances to the new members of the Old Swiss Confederacy
Old Swiss Confederacy
The Old Swiss Confederacy was the precursor of modern-day Switzerland....
. Since there is currently no legal framework governing the admission of new cantons, any enlargement would, as a matter of Swiss law, require an amendment of the Swiss federal constitution
Swiss Federal Constitution
The Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons , contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights , delineates the responsibilities of the...
and therefore a national popular referendum.
The 2010 motion
The 2010 motion by members of the nationalist Swiss People's PartySwiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
(SVP), Switzerland's largest and co-governing party, is mainly directed against the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU), which the SVP strongly opposes. The proposal, which was submitted by Jurassian
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
representative Dominique Baettig
Dominique Baettig
Dr. Dominique Baettig is a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss People's Party. He represents the canton of Jura and is a psychiatrist by profession.-Freedom of expression:...
and co-signed by SVP party chairman Toni Brunner
Toni Brunner
Toni Brunner is a Swiss farmer, national chairman of the Swiss People's Party and a member of the Swiss National Council.-Biography:...
, argues that the border regions are neglected by and desire autonomy from their central governments and from the EU. It proposes to offer these regions the "Swiss model of sovereignty" as an alternative to a "creeping accession" of Switzerland to the "centralist" EU.
In a statement of 19 May 2010, the Swiss Federal Council
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
recommended rejecting the motion. It argued that its adoption would be considered an unfriendly act by the countries surrounding Switzerland, and that it would also be at odds with international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, which in the government's view does not provide for a right to secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
except in exceptional circumstances.
No official reactions by European governments to the SVP motion were reported by June 2010; a Swiss newspaper requesting a comment by the German embassy was answered by laughter. The media, however, reported on a surprisingly high level of apparent popular support for joining Switzerland (as reflected in Internet polls and comments) in some of the regions at issue:
- In Como, an online poll in June 2010 by the La Provincia di Como newspaper found 74% of 2,500 respondents in favor of accession to Switzerland, which the local regionalist party Lega LombardaLega LombardaLega Lombarda is a regionalist political party active in Lombardy. Led by Giancarlo Giorgetti, the party is the second largest in the region....
has long been advocating. - Another online poll by the South German SüdkurierSüdkurierThe Südkurier is a regional daily newspaper for the regions northwest of Lake Constance, Hochrhein and Black Forest with its headquarters Konstanz. The paper appears with a circulation of around 130,000, six times per week in Berliner format...
newspaper found that almost 70% of respondents replied "yes, the Swiss are closer to us in outlook" to a question whether the state of Baden-WürttembergBaden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
should join Switzerland. The paper noted that seldom had a topic generated so much activity by its readership. - Swiss media also recalled a 2008 poll in Vorarlberg by ORFORFORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
radio, according to which about half of all Vorarlberger were in favor of joining Switzerland. - The econationalEco-nationalismThe term eco-nationalism is a neologism used to describe an emerging form on nationalism both on economic and ecological issues.Economic nationalism, typified in the US by individuals such as Lou Dobbs seeks to protect the working class of a country from loss of jobs due to trends such as...
movement Domà Nunch replied to Baettig's motion proposing an integration between Switzerland and the Italian border-area of InsubriaInsubriaInsubria is a historical-geographical region which corresponds to the area inhabited in Classical antiquity by the Insubres. Secondarily the name can refer to the Duchy of Milan...
in order to join into a new Confederation.