Etienne Kiss-Borlase

Leadership

Syrian Refugees Less Interested in Switzerland Than Other EU Countries

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The Swiss Migration Office (SEM) recently released new figures showing that there was a total of only 3,899 asylum requests placed last month for Switzerland, just three more than in July. To put that number into perspective, the EU member states have registered 550,000 asylum requests total from January to July in 2015, up from the 304,000 they received during the same period last year. This spike in refugee applicants has been felt across Europe, but there has been notable lack of interest in refugee registration to Switzerland compared to other European countries.

Breaking down that Swiss total a bit: 1,610 requests came from Eritreans, 461 from Afghans, 401 from Syrians, and 180 from Iraqis. One reason for the lack of Syrian applicants is due to the modest size of the existing Syrian population in the country. Generally speaking, you can expect a bigger influx of refugees when the Diaspora is already large. As a refugee who is already facing harsh, if not deadly conditions, and is being forced to move their entire lives, it is more appealing to enter into a country with a strong community that resembles that which you experienced back home.

Latest figures from the SEM show that a little over 5,000 Syrian refugees have been given provisional permission to live in Switzerland, with another 2,000 currently in review. As more Syrians are approved, we could see a spike in Syrian refugee interest.

This framework helps us to explain the larger number of Eritrean applications comparatively, since approximately 20,000 Eritreans have been welcomed into Switzerland in recent years. In fact, Switzerland now has the largest sub group of Eritrean people outside of the North African country itself.

Another reason for the relatively low number of Syrian applicants is the Switzerland’s stricter asylum policy compared to elsewhere in Europe. In Sweden, for example, the rate of acceptance of Syrian refugees is 100 percent. In Switzerland it’s around 35 percent, with provisional admission.

Of the 2,095 asylum requests processed in August, Switzerland granted asylum to 462 people and gave 584 provisional admission. It also rejected 649 people under the Dublin convention, which specifies that people should apply for asylum in the first EU country they enter.

In March, the federal council set a quota to accept 3,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years, and another 1,000 places are reserved for the close relatives of Syrians already in Switzerland. Current president Simonetta Sommaruga has long agreed to participate in any EU regulations the EU sets on refugee quotas.

Another factor currently slowing Switzerland’s refugee application processing speed can be blamed on overly-complicated bureaucracy and strict terms. The current number of total pending applications in Switzerland has risen by 1,922 to total 19,207.

Some politicians, such as Green politician Ueli Leuenberger, have said they find these hold-ups “scandalous.” Others, like Christian Democrat Christophe Darbellay, believe the painstaking precautions the country is taken is necessary to protect it against potentially dangerous immigrants. And then there are some, like Swiss People’s Party councillor Hans Fehr, who seem to be taking the stance that if immigrants aren’t interested in Switzerland, then Switzerland isn’t interested in them. As he told the Tribune, “If Syrians don’t want to come to Switzerland, we shouldn’t go and get them.”

In the first eight months of 2015, Switzerland has received a total of 19,668 asylum requests from all nationalities, and they are expecting that number to rise to around 30,000 by the end of the year. By comparison, there were 23,765 asylum requests placed last year, an 11 percent rise from 2013.

Youth Take Liking Into Politics

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In a recent study and survey, it is noted that teens born in 1997, who are now 17 are taking a heavy interest in politics and bettering the democracy in Switzerland. After the government advisory Commission for Child and Youth Affairs conducted a survey with a sample of 3,000 students. A resounding, and fairly surprised researchers got back the results around 66%. 66% of teens are interested or looking to make a change and are interested in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Professor at Bern University, Michelle Beyeler, who conducted the survey explained, “We were afraid it would be difficult to get these young people to respond to the survey, but this was not the case at all – this surprised me in a positive way.” Many young teens around the world are hesitant to work or find a deep interest in politics due to the corrupt nature that could be in play. But teens in Switzerland are looking to stop this trend by creating an environment where the younger generation are interested.

Something that does not come as much as a surprise is the gender roles and differences when the teens were asked about gender roles with working and other political subjects. Men tended to learn towards men working while women stayed at home, while women voted opposite saying both men and women should work equally.

Even though these teens are fairly young, they have a great sense of what is going on with their government and political party. 77% of them are opposed to Switzerland joining the European Union, while 62% believe the free movement of people is a positive for the country. With some time before the elections, many of these teens will be eligible to vote before the October election. The future is looking to make a change in their country, and are taking an interest in the outcome. For more political news and updates, please visit Etienne Kiss-Borlase’s Official Website.

Update On Nuclear Deal

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The June 30th deadline for the historic comprehensive nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and several world powers is approaching fast and tensions continue to escalate in the seemingly never ending war of words that has developed around the issue. While many people and political groups support the current version of the agreement, which would include new and innovative methods for monitoring Iran’s nuclear capabilities and nuclear sites, Iran’s top religious and political leader had some interesting demands of his own now that an interim deal has been reached.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who has the final say on any action taken by the Iranian state, has finally joined the larger conversation surrounding the possibility of reaching an agreement. His comments echoed those of Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, that Iran will ultimately not sign any final comprehensive deal unless all of the sanctions against the state are lifted on the same day as the signing. Sanctions against Iran by world powers, primarily under the leadership of the United States, have been crippling to say the least. The Iranian economy is very dependent on its oil exports, which is where they have been hit the hardest. Sanctions by the European Union and the United States, for example, make it so that Iran has less potential options of who to do business with when it comes to oil.

Will the two Iranian leaders get what they want? That’s hard to say. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have both said on various occasions that sanctions will be phased out gradually over the course of the agreement. Also, it is hard to determine how much room for negotiation Iran has at the end of the day with a lot of criticism and intense opposition over the deal coming from within the United States government and the Israeli government. France, a major broker in the deal, has also stated that the recent comments by Khamenei demonstrate how difficult it will be to come to final agreements with Iran.

Please visit Etienne Kiss-Borlase‘s official website for more updates on politics and events around the world.

Swiss Politics Shaken Up

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Over the recent years the Swiss People Party (SVP) and their godfather Christoph Blocher have seen problems which they are set out to solve. The parties main problems lies in mass immigration and demote international laws. The reason for the shake up is to deter and shield Switzerland from outside influences and have them affect the system the Swiss People Party has instilled.

The Swiss population generally favors Blocher and the Swiss People Party, in the past the SVP was heavily favored by small businessmen and farmers. The reason Blocher and the Swiss People Party have gained popularity over the decades is how they defend and value traditional Swiss values which other parties tend to base their campaigns through outside foreign influences. Over the last year, Switzerland was undergoing changes in the laws of immigration which according to the SVP needed to become more strict. Unfortunately, these new limits on immigration began to ruffle the ties between Switzerland and the rest of the European Union.

According to DailyMail, “In May, Blocher resigned from the parliament in Berne so he could spend more time furthering his policies through popular initiatives or referendums, a particular feature of Swiss politics.” The goals are to continue working to get the policies which the SVP have been pushing for.

For the supporters of the SVP, many compare Blocher to a Swiss folk hero, William Tell. Many believe Blocher is fighting to keep Switzerland under Swiss control rather then moving closer and closer to resembling the European Union.

For more on the current Political state in Switzerland, please visit DailyMail‘s breakdown. Also for more political information, please visit Etienne Kiss-Borlase‘s main site.