European Institute

By Claire Swinko, European Affairs

Earlier this week Swiss voters overwhelmingly (77%) rejected a referendum initiative to provide a universal basic income to its citizens regardless of employment status. While the measure called for a constitutional amendment that would introduce a UBI and guarantee “a humane existence and participation in public life for the whole population”, nearly all major political parties and the government opposed both the idea of a referendum and its substance. However, proponents gained the requisite 100,000 signatures in accordance with Swiss law, suggesting a basic monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs to adults who have legally lived in the country for a minimum of five years, and 640 Swiss francs to children under 18 years of age. Opponents claimed the proposal, if enacted, would cost 25 billion Swiss francs per year and even the measure’s proponents conceded that it could consume about a third of the country’s GDP.