Report from Switzerland

Less than a decade ago, writing about the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in a wider Europe, Jorg Monar argued that ‘Switzerland has remained a “blank spot” right in the middle of the emerging EU internal security zone’ (Monar 2000: 15). The renowned professor of European studies then went on to describe the growing concern amongst European Union practitioners regarding the country’s exclusion from common EU and Schengen cooperation and data exchange, ‘although’, as he pointed out, Switzerland’s ‘border control and policing systems are of very high standard’ (ibid.). At a later date, when discussing the package of seven agreements that the Swiss government signed with the EU on several matters – from free movement to road and air transport, to public procurement and research – Monar came to the conclusion that, because of the imposition of the EU principles and requirements, the Swiss case could be named another case of ‘unequal inclusion’ (Monar 2000). The extent to which the situation has changed from the time of Monar’s publication is the topic of this chapter. Along with this investigation comes a preliminary assessment of Switzerland’s current immigration system.