Well over a decade after its launch, the European Union’s tool for citizen participation has largely failed to take off, especially set against the extensive popular rights enjoyed in Switzerland. Why? An analysis by Domhnall O’Sullivan. As ongoing debates over a new set of bilateral deals with Brussels show, any hint of European Union (EU) meddling in Swiss domestic affairs – and especially its direct democracy – tends to spark criticism. But influence can flow the other way too. Recently, a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) – a signature-gathering tool for proposing EU reform – came with a Swiss twist. “HouseEurope!”, which called for incentives to renovate rather than demolish old buildings, was linked to Switzerland’s top university, the federal institute of technology ETH Zurich. Not only did a professor from its architecture department co-initiate the campaign; the department itself is listed as having contributed CHF50,000 ($63,300) to it. A canton Zug foundation was also ...
