| Review of: | Switzerland and the European Union edited by C.H. Church |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Tobias Theiler |
| Reviewed in: | Journal of Common Market Studies |
| Date accepted online: | 10/04/2008 |
| Published in print: | Volume 45, Issue 05, Pages 1159-1167 |
Book Reviews
This is the first volume in English devoted to Switzerland's relations with the European Union. Written by a group of (mostly Swiss-based) political scientists, historians, economists and legal experts, the different chapters take various empirical and analytical perspectives. These include the role of neutrality, federalism and direct democracy, trade and migration, pro- and anti-European interest groups and the rise of a Eurosceptic populist political right. The result is an overview of Swiss-EU relations against a backdrop of the post-war politics and history of this complex and often puzzling country.
Several themes resonate throughout the concise and well-written chapters. While Switzerland's refusal to join the EU reflects a long-lasting effort to maximize political autonomy even at the price of forgoing political influence, the country has nonetheless displayed a surprising degree of adaptability and pragmatism on several issues. For instance, despite its almost mythical status in Swiss national consciousness, neutrality has undergone a gradual re-interpretation to the point where the federal government now no longer deems it incompatible with potential EU membership. Moreover, in order to safeguard Switzerland's intense social and economic links with its European neighbours, the government has already brought many laws into line with EU standards in a formally autonomous fashion.
Yet while in some regards Switzerland has gradually become more like a 'normal' European country, most contributors to the volume rule out the possibility of EU membership in the foreseeable future. Too strong remains the preference of many voters for restricting the country's political exposure, partially conditioned by a belief that such a cautious and suspicious stance towards the outside world helped ensure Switzerland's survival during centuries of European turmoil. That leaves the government with its current strategy of intensifying ties with the EU through a series of bilateral agreements, and it leaves many contributors to the volume disillusioned. In the concluding chapter, Yannis Papadopoulus warns that the Swiss electorate's taste for political near-isolationism could lead to the country's 'Liechtensteinization', to complete international obscurity and irrelevance. But from another perspective, Switzerland's coyness towards the European integration process simply reflects the extraordinary sluggishness of the Swiss political system - a system that defers important decisions until most sections of its socially and culturally fragmented electorate have come round to accepting them and that privileges accommodation and compromise over confrontation, swiftness and radical change. As this volume shows, Switzerland's cautious journey towards closer links with the rest of Europe started almost as far back as the European integration project itself; but judged by the slowness of Swiss political time it may have barely just begun.