The origins of Euroscepticism in German‐speaking Switzerland

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines why the electorate in German‐speaking Switzerland has consistently opposed joining the European Union. It first shows that the region scores highly on a range of general correlates of negative attitudes towards European integration. However, this is compounded by more idiosyncratic factors, above all by the German‐speaking Swiss’ peculiar political and cultural position. On the one hand, as Swiss they belong to a state that lacks a single national culture, is defined in civic and institutional rather than cultural terms, and therefore appears more vulnerable in the face of the European Union's own civic and institutional ambitions. On the other hand, as Swiss‐Germans, they belong to a cultural and linguistic region whose cultural boundaries are relatively fragile and lack institutional backup and articulation. Caught in this identitive double bind, the Swiss‐German electorate has developed an underlying sense of vulnerability and a desire to limit exposure to the outside world.

Different Varieties of Euroscepticism? Conceptualizing and Explaining Euroscepticism in Western European Non‐Member States

“…Pride and satisfaction with one's government and political history is central to explaining political Euroscepticism. Theiler (, p. 640; see also Sanchez‐Cuenca, ) makes a very important observation which fits well with all the three cases:

Countries with a successful political legacy (i.e., stable, democratic, able to protect national autonomy and so on) are on average less keen on European integration than those whose political legacy is less proud. A rationale for this is not hard to come by: one is more reluctant to surrender or modify something if it performs well and has done so in the past.

…”

“…Norway also applied in 1967, 1970 and 1992, but it was the population who put the brakes on the country's involvement with integration, rejecting membership in referendums in 1972 and 1994. In Switzerland the majority of the political and economic elites have been in favour of EU membership (Theiler, , p. 637). As in Norway, it was the electorate who turned down taking an active part in European integration in 1992; their ‘no’ to participation in the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement also put an end to the membership debate.…”

“…Throughout the decades of European integration, the Swiss government has expressed concerns about the repercussions that EU membership would have on federalism and direct democracy ‘which both play an important role for Swiss identity’ (Federal Council, 1988, cited in Gstöhl, , p. 541). Moreover, Theiler (, p. 643) points out that ‘surveys show time and time again that for many Swiss belonging to a neutral country is a central ingredient to what it means to be Swiss’. He argues that the fact that Switzerland is a ‘state without a culture’, lacking a common language and other cultural attributes, makes the country particularly vulnerable in relation to European integration:

[Switzerland's] more monocultural neighbours […] can more easily tolerate a (actual or perceived) weakening of their political practices and institutions, as long as they retain their cultural attributes as a source of internal cohesion and external demarcation.

…”

Practising Citizenship and Heterogeneous Nationhood : Naturalisations in Swiss Municipalities

“…Given the cultural heterogeneity of this country, it is possible to contend that political institutions constitute a crucial denominator for all groups. Accordingly, Switzerland is often considered as a nation by action of the will rather than a nation based on cultural homogeneity (Kohn 1967(Kohn [1944Deutsch 1976;Theiler 2004).…”

What Explains Increasing Euroscepticism in Switzerland? A Longitudinal Analysis

“…Indeed, while macro factors such as the 2008 economic crisis undoubtedly played a role in explaining the overall decline in support for joining the EU among Swiss citizens, individual life course changes may also explain why many of them withdrew their support for joining the EU at some point in their life. Literature on Euroscepticism in Switzerland (Christin and Trechsel 2002;Skinner 2013;Theiler 2004) has highlighted how, as they do elsewhere (Hooghe and Marks 2005;Hobolt and de Vries 2016), economic and political/cultural factors shape Swiss citizens' reactions to the EU. Extending this examination, we hypothesize that changes in these factors (e.g., a worsening personal financial situation, political ideologies leaning toward the right) may lead to decline in EU support among Swiss citizens that were initially pro-EU.…”