The rightwing Swiss People’s Party pushes for withdrawal from Europe’s Schengen Area.

[pampango]

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/People_s_Party_to_target_Schengen_membership.html?cid=28953914

One week after voters approved the party’s initiative to expel foreign criminals, delegates at an open-air meeting in canton Vaud agreed that the party should push for Switzerland’s withdrawal from Europe’s Schengen Area and the introduction of restrictions on development aid.

Delegates unanimously voted in favour of demanding that the government renounce its membership of the single-border Schengen Area.

Also on the international front, the party will call on the government to cut aid to those developing countries whose citizens are considered a great financial burden to the Swiss asylum and justice systems.

The Swiss People’s Party will also now push to tighten entrance criteria for foreign students applying to Swiss universities, and for the authorities to ensure fees cover all of the costs incurred by these people.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

The Schengen Area operates very much like a single state for international travel purposes with border controls for travellers travelling in and out of the area, but with no internal border controls.

The Schengen rules were absorbed into European Union (EU) law by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, although the area officially includes three non-EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland...

[davidinalameda]

1. the term "single border" seems to be a bit misleading

at least the way I'm reading the wikipedia article

EU travelers still need ID to be allowed to enter another country

maybe I misunderstood the article

as for the part about foreign students in Swiss universities, I'm pretty sure the US has similar rules in regards to finances

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. They are meant to have ID with them, but it won't usually be asked for at a border

Border posts are typically unmanned. Countries are allowed to ask for ID at other times.

[pampango]

5. My impression is that most Europeans enjoy being able to live, work and travel anywhere in Europe.

Proposing that people give this up seems to be a high stakes gamble for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. It's one thing to win a referendum on restrictions on immigrants; quite another to convince them that an open Europe is a bad idea.

Perhaps this will be a case of the far-right "reaching too far". After winning a couple of battles on wedge issues involving immigrants (restricting new mosques and the deportation of criminal foreigners), they are reaching to change the way that modern Europe operates. Could be interesting.

[Blue_Tires]

3. I still want to know if that 'deport foreign criminals' law will be equally applied to

billionaire tax cheats

[davidinalameda]

4. write them a letter asking