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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-born_population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-bo... With most countries w

by seszett 13y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-born_population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-bo... With most countries with high amounts of immigrants being either quite poor or quite rich (especially those in Europe) and Switzerland obviously belonging to the rich European ones... it's not obvious what good could come from trying to leave this list of the richest, highest-immigration countries.

Hermel 13y ago
According to that list, 28.9% of the Swiss population are immigrants. Even if the proposed quota cuts immigration in half, it will still stay one of the top countries in that regard.
stefantalpalaru 13y ago
Some people hope that the EU will cut Switzerland's access to the common market which will force it to officially accede to the European Union and have a saying in the rules and regulations it has to adopt anyway.
- ZirconCode 13y ago
  Actually Switzerland will most likely have to take this action itself, as the Swiss law now contradicts itself in this aspect.
- michaelt 13y ago
  From the perspective of the EU, taking punitive action would make them look like Russia, eager to push their 'allies' about. It would be a gift to people who say the EU wants to take away countries' individual sovereignty. According to those who oppose caps, instituting caps will cause a bunch of pain anyway. If the EU want to punish the swiss, the best thing to do would be to allow that pain, which the swiss have indisputably brought upon themselves.
  - sentenza 13y ago
    I think you are right, letting them run into that knife is probably the best way. However, the counterargument also holds some sway: Switzerland is free-riding already, having many of the common market benefits of the EU without giving he loss of sovereignty that EU membership entails. The whole EFTA agreement only works because Swizerland etc. are relatively small compared to the rest of the EU. If everybody had the EFTA deal and there was no EU, the whole thing would go to shambles within a few decades.
hugh4life 13y ago
Why should "Switzerland" care about how rich it is if it's not Swiss? Wealth is not the measure of all things and it's definitely not something that gets spread around evenly. There are winners and losers to mass immigration. Mass immigration also reduces the notion of there being a common culture and destiny which reduces the social capital and civic mindedness required for public programs to work.
guard-of-terra 13y ago
I would take this table with a grain of salt. It claims that Belarus is the most "immigrated to" country of all CIS (bar Kazakhstan) when really it's the most monocultural country out here. They probably failed to calculate USSR dissolution correctly and maybe have other problems.

by seszett 13y ago

Hermel 13y ago

According to that list, 28.9% of the Swiss population are immigrants. Even if the proposed quota cuts immigration in half, it will still stay one of the top countries in that regard.

stefantalpalaru 13y ago

Some people hope that the EU will cut Switzerland's access to the common market which will force it to officially accede to the European Union and have a saying in the rules and regulations it has to adopt anyway.

ZirconCode 13y ago
Actually Switzerland will most likely have to take this action itself, as the Swiss law now contradicts itself in this aspect.
michaelt 13y ago
From the perspective of the EU, taking punitive action would make them look like Russia, eager to push their 'allies' about. It would be a gift to people who say the EU wants to take away countries' individual sovereignty. According to those who oppose caps, instituting caps will cause a bunch of pain anyway. If the EU want to punish the swiss, the best thing to do would be to allow that pain, which the swiss have indisputably brought upon themselves.
- sentenza 13y ago
  I think you are right, letting them run into that knife is probably the best way. However, the counterargument also holds some sway: Switzerland is free-riding already, having many of the common market benefits of the EU without giving he loss of sovereignty that EU membership entails. The whole EFTA agreement only works because Swizerland etc. are relatively small compared to the rest of the EU. If everybody had the EFTA deal and there was no EU, the whole thing would go to shambles within a few decades.

hugh4life 13y ago

Why should "Switzerland" care about how rich it is if it's not Swiss? Wealth is not the measure of all things and it's definitely not something that gets spread around evenly. There are winners and losers to mass immigration. Mass immigration also reduces the notion of there being a common culture and destiny which reduces the social capital and civic mindedness required for public programs to work.

guard-of-terra 13y ago

I would take this table with a grain of salt. It claims that Belarus is the most "immigrated to" country of all CIS (bar Kazakhstan) when really it's the most monocultural country out here. They probably failed to calculate USSR dissolution correctly and maybe have other problems.