EUROSСEPTICISM IN A SWISS STYLE

Introduction. This article is devoted to the analysis of the reasons for opposition towards European integration in Switzerland and to the complicated format of interrelations between Switzerland and the European Union.

Materials and methods. The author undertakes the theoretical and empirical analysis of historical, political and legal literature, research of foreign and Russian scholars, theses, statistical documents that gave her an opportunity to formulate the hypothesis of the research and come to the results that are stated in this article.

Results. The  author’s basic hypothesis presupposes that economic, ideological, and value discrepancies between the Swiss Confederation and the EU Member States cannot explain the motives why the Swiss electorate rejects the idea of Swiss membership in the EU. The explanations that at first sight look “obvious” do not give us an adequate answer to the question “ why does Switzerland reject the idea of its membership in the European Union?” The more substantive and scrupulous research is needed to define the arguments, which could explain the Swiss position, and give us the arguments that could disclose the causes of their choice but not the superficial coincidences. That is why it is necessary to more carefully scrutinize all rational and in addition emotional (irrational) reasons of Swiss electorate attitude to the idea of integration with the EU.

Contrary to the EU neighbors, which have no reason to be afraid of losing ethnocultural attributes as a source of National consolidation the Swiss can’t define themselves in common cultural terms, can’t use the concept “ethnic nation” as a nationstate marker and the uniting idea. The threat to civil practices and institutions from unpredictable situations in the EU can potentially cause not only deprivation of political role of the multiethnic federation but even loss of National identity of Swisses.

Discussions and conclusion. Just only the Swiss people have been able to turn federalism and democracy from abstract functionalist paradigms into real and cordial National values. That is why a deprivation of these values for them is equal to a loss of National identity. In this regards the author connects the nature of Swiss eurosсepticism first of all with the threat to weaken the worldwide known Swiss institutions of neutrality, “referendum democracy”, federalism that in practice turns into a rejection of any forms of International integration.

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