European People's Party

Friedrich Merz and the CDU are pushing for stricter migration measures at a large gathering of the European People's Party in southern France. The push comes after electoral defeats in German state elections, with an amendment proposed to sharpen the party's migration policy at the European level.

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.