{"id":529091,"date":"2025-09-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leregardlibre.com\/?p=529091"},"modified":"2025-12-01T12:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:09:50","slug":"free-movement-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leregardlibre.com\/en\/economie\/libre-circulation-analyse\/","title":{"rendered":"Free movement of people is not liberal, it's socialist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free immigration from the EU certainly boosts economic performance, but it has serious side-effects that have been overlooked. It is thus becoming the driving force behind Switzerland's illiberal transformation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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L\u2019original article<\/a> <\/a>by Reiner Eichenberger and Fabian Kuhn was published in German in <\/em>Schweizer Monat.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The free movement of people brings Switzerland more immigration and therefore more growth in population and gross domestic product (GDP). It brings the few \u00abspecial citizens\u00bb - political decision-makers, powerful companies and leading associations - higher tax revenues, sales and membership fees, and thus \u00abvitamin B3\u00bb: budget, importance, bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For \u00abordinary citizens\u00bb, on the other hand, what counts is whether immigration improves their quality of life. And here, it's not GDP that's relevant, but GDP per capita<\/em>. To do this, special citizens set thought traps, such as \u00abimmigration alleviates the shortage of skilled labor\u00bb. If this were true, the skills shortage would have disappeared long ago after eighteen years of total free movement of people. But in reality, immigration feeds the skills shortage, because immigrants need housing, goods and services - largely produced by skilled workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immigration thus becomes a natural phenomenon. Rapid population growth makes all those factors that cannot be reproduced at a constant average cost - land, infrastructure, environmental assets, self-sufficiency and efficiency - more scarce and more expensive. These \u00abinfill costs\u00bb reduce quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | Immigration: Labour's reality check<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

There are numerous studies on the effects of immigration, most of them commissioned by the Swiss government. Many of them focus on the past evolution of the labor market, although this is where we would expect to encounter the fewest problems - precisely because immigration is a natural phenomenon. Unsurprisingly, they show that as long as the labor market is flexible, the effects of immigration are minimal, neither strongly negative nor strongly positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certaines \u00e9tudes simulent les cons\u00e9quences d\u2019une future immigration. Une \u00e9tude r\u00e9cente, r\u00e9alis\u00e9e par le bureau Ecoplan sur mandat de la Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration, analyse les cons\u00e9quences \u00e9conomiques de l\u2019abrogation des Bilat\u00e9rales I d\u2019ici 2045. Selon le Conseil f\u00e9d\u00e9ral, cela entra\u00eenerait pour la Suisse une perte annuelle importante de 4,9% du PIB. Mais il s\u2019agit l\u00e0 d\u2019un latin sp\u00e9cial. Pour les revenus par travailleur, l\u2019\u00e9tude ne trouve que des effets minimes malgr\u00e9 l\u2019hypoth\u00e8se qu\u2019il n\u2019y aurait pas de co\u00fbts de remplissage. Alors que la population augmenterait de 344’000 personnes et de 45’000 frontaliers en moins, les revenus du travail n\u2019augmenteraient que de 0,62% de moins qu\u2019avec les Bilat\u00e9rales I et la libre circulation des personnes. Ces derni\u00e8res n\u2019apportent donc presque que des co\u00fbts de remplissage aux citoyens ordinaires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The black hole of filling costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To date, filling costs have not been studied. This makes it all the more important to think about the issue in an economically disciplined way. What is decisive for Switzerland is not the effect of immigration, but the effect of the free movement of people. The latter prohibits what is the rule in other immigration countries such as Canada or Australia: limiting, managing and selecting immigration in a targeted manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of control, combined with differences in size and prosperity - the EU has a population 50 times larger and a GDP per capita 60% lower than that of Switzerland - results in asymmetrical migratory pressure towards Switzerland. For would-be migrants, it's worth moving to Switzerland as long as the differences in quality of life outweigh the costs of migration. Or, to put it another way, net immigration will only dry up when the Swiss quality of life, due to higher filling costs, falls to the level of the countries of origin plus the costs of migration. But while the costs of immigration fall as the proportion of foreigners rises (for example, because more and more people speak English), the pressure to migrate, and therefore the costs of filling in, continue to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | Ren\u00e9 Schwok: \u00abWe're giving the EU powers it doesn't have\u00bb.\u00bb<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Infill costs affect almost all areas of life. More inhabitants - 21% in 18 years of free movement of people - need more living and working space, which drives up rents despite the enormous construction activity and shrinking green spaces. They need more transport infrastructure, electricity, health services, training places and so on. Communes and cantons have to develop schools, hospitals, roads and public transport in a short space of time, and ensure self-sufficiency and waste disposal objectives. The costs of all these services rise disproportionately with rapid expansion. The result is a decline in the quality of services, an increase in the burden on public budgets and, ultimately, in taxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immigration boosted by the country's attractiveness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some see the solution to the problem in greater efficiency, for example by integrating more women and older people into the labor market or deregulating the construction sector. But these too are thinking traps: the more Switzerland uses its resources, i.e., the more efficient it becomes, the more attractive its business location becomes, which in turn increases migratory pressure and filling costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This balancing act deprives citizens of the incentive to engage in good politics. In addition, high immigration is eroding Switzerland's successful institutions, such as the militia system and direct democracy. Meanwhile, the share of foreigners in the permanent resident population rises to around 40% in the 30-40 age group. While the demand for militia work in politics, the army and society is increasing with population growth, the supply is hardly growing at all. At the same time, a growing proportion of the population is excluded from direct participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | The taboo reasons for the SVP's surge and the Greens' failure<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Markets are thus infiltrated. As locals are no longer allowed to discriminate directly against immigrants to protect their comfortable housing and employment situation, they discriminate against them indirectly by discriminating against all \u00aboutsiders\u00bb wishing to enter the market (i.e. immigrants and their own young people) or all local non-residents (whether Swiss or immigrants). As a result, the rental market is increasingly regulated to protect existing tenants, while new housing applicants are left out in the cold. Similar trends are evident in the labor market, for example in the form of minimum wages or accompanying measures that make it more difficult to enter the market. The free movement of people is thus becoming the driving force behind Switzerland's illiberal transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constructive solutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are two solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Direct tourist taxes that do not comply with the free movement of people.<\/strong> Immigration from the EU and certain third countries should be as free of bureaucratic obstacles as possible, but not free of charge. New adult immigrants would pay a tax of 10 to 25 francs per day (similar to a residence tax) for three to five years. This would effectively reduce and direct immigration, making Switzerland less attractive, especially to those who bring little to the table. For foreigners from the EU, it would still be attractive, because even with the residence tax, the tax burden on immigrants would still be much lower than in the EU; a small part of their migratory gain, however, would accrue to Switzerland. The revenue of between 1.5 and 5 billion francs a year (depending on the model) would once again encourage locals to commit to openness and good politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | Sovereignty versus international governance<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Great Britain shows just how effective the pricing model is. It introduced a comparable model after the Brexit, but for all prospective immigrants. This made immigration from the EU more expensive, but from outside the EU much easier. As a result, immigration from the EU has fallen, while immigration from non-EU countries has soared. The ideal situation for Switzerland would therefore be a 2- or 3-circle model: all new immigrants would have to pay a fair price for their stay. But for prospective immigrants from non-EU countries, there would also have to be a case-by-case examination, for example using a points system. On the other hand, prospective immigrants from the EU benefit from free immigration at a lower \u00abfriendly price\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. State burdens that weigh heavily on the Swiss and constitute genuine \u00abSwiss taxes\u00bb must be distributed more fairly, and state services for long-term residents must be increased.<\/strong> L\u2019imp\u00f4t suisse le plus important est le service militaire obligatoire. Il oblige les jeunes hommes suisses \u00e0 servir 245 jours, soit une bonne ann\u00e9e de travail, ce qui leur co\u00fbte entre 50’000 et 80’000 francs en raison du manque \u00e0 gagner et du retard dans la formation, malgr\u00e9 l\u2019allocation de perte de gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read also | \u00abThe Clash of Civilizations: immigration vs. immigrations<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Le service militaire obligatoire pourrait \u00eatre aboli et remplac\u00e9 par une \u00abcontribution \u00e0 la soci\u00e9t\u00e9\u00bb: tous ceux qui entrent dans la vie adulte en Suisse \u2013 que ce soit par leur dix-huiti\u00e8me anniversaire ou par l\u2019immigration \u2013 devraient verser une contribution de 50’000 francs sur quelques ann\u00e9es, sous forme de service militaire, de travail d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat g\u00e9n\u00e9ral ou d\u2019argent. En parall\u00e8le, l\u2019Etat pourrait constituer un capital de base pour tous les jeunes en leur versant des contributions annuelles, avec lesquelles ils pourraient \u00e9galement payer leur contribution \u00e0 la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 une fois adultes. Au total, cela aurait l\u2019effet d\u2019une taxe d\u2019immigration non discriminatoire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such considerations might frighten liberals into thinking that the free movement of people is a liberal model. But this too is a thinking trap: the free movement of people is not a liberal concept, but rather a socialist one: it deprives citizens of their property rights over their own country by allowing others to use it for free. The fact that it doesn't work is in fact trivial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reiner Eichenberger<\/strong> is Professor of Economic and Financial Policy at the University of Fribourg. Fabian Kuhn<\/strong> is a graduate assistant in the same chair.<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have just read an open-access article. Debates, analyses, cultural news: subscribe<\/a> to support us and access all our content.<\/h6>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

La libre immigration en provenance de l’UE augmente certes la performance \u00e9conomique, mais elle a de graves effets secondaires n\u00e9glig\u00e9s. Elle devient ainsi le moteur d’une transformation illib\u00e9rale de la Suisse.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":964,"featured_media":529102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27371],"tags":[9472,143905,644358470,4363,8160677,644358494,157129],"class_list":["post-529091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economie","tag-analyses","tag-croissance","tag-fiscalite","tag-immigration","tag-libre-circulation","tag-logement","tag-union-europeenne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLa libre circulation des personnes n\u2019est pas lib\u00e9rale, mais socialiste<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"La libre circulation europ\u00e9enne augmente certes la croissance \u00e9conomique, mais devient le moteur d\u2019une transformation illib\u00e9rale de la Suisse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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