Federal Council rejects the popular initiative for the protection of borders

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The Swiss Federal Council decided to recommend that Parliament reject the popular initiative “Stop the Abuse of Asylum! (Initiative for the Protection of Borders)” without proposing a direct or indirect counter-proposal.

According to the Federal Council, the initiative’s demands, such as systematic border controls, a strict annual asylum cap of 5,000 persons, the exclusion of asylum and provisional admission for people entering via safe third countries, and far-reaching measures against irregular migrants, would have serious negative consequences. In particular, withdrawing from the Schengen/Dublin system could increase secondary migration, weaken internal security, harm the economy, and potentially breach international obligations, including the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Source

  • Federal Council | Der Bundesrat | Conseil fédéral | Consiglio federale (12 December, 2025), Le Conseil fédéral rejette l’initiative populaire « Stop aux abus de l’asile ! (initiative pour la protection des frontières) » [Federal Council rejects popular initiative "Stop the abuse of asylum! (Border Protection Initiative) »],