European People's Party

The European People's Party is sharpening its position on migration. At a large gathering of the party in southern France, Friedrich Merz and the CDU are pushing for stricter measures on migration, following the party's defeats in recent German state elections. An amendment proposal calling for tougher policies has been put forward for delegates to approve.

Swiss voters have rejected by a large margin a referendum proposal, pushed by the far-right Swiss People's Party, that would have enshrined stricter neutrality into law and limited cooperation with foreign allies. The result means Switzerland will keep its current interpretation of neutrality, which allows sanctions alignment with Western partners and military cooperation. Supporters had argued it would protect Swiss independence, while opponents said it would have isolated the country diplomatically.

Swiss voters have delivered a decisive verdict in a referendum on how strictly the country should interpret its long-standing neutrality. The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) had backed the proposal, arguing that Switzerland had drifted too close to the European Union and NATO, especially since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The outcome settles, for now, a debate over whether neutrality should limit cooperation with Western partners.