In future, Swiss people will have to object if they do not want to donate their organs. The population also voted on Sunday for a new film law and a higher Frontex contribution.
In Switzerland you will have to object in the future if you do not want to donate your own organs after death. Otherwise, one is generally considered an organ donor. Only the relatives have a right of veto if the will of the deceased is not documented. The Swiss electorate voted in favor of this amendment to the transplantation law on Sunday with a clear majority: 60.2 percent – and above all the French-speaking cantons – voted in the referendum for this so-called extended objection solution.
With this, Switzerland is fundamentally changing its organ donation model. As in Germany, it was previously the case that organs may only be removed from those deceased who consented to a donation during their lifetime. A majority of the Swiss population is apparently of the opinion that changing the model can increase the number of organ donations per million inhabitants.
On Sunday, the Confederates voted on two more laws against which opponents had pushed through a referendum by collecting signatures. In these cases, too, the population spoke out in favor of the line taken by the government and parliamentary majority – for example for the reformed film law: the so-called “Lex Netflix” wants, among other things, streaming platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime to oblige four percent of their earnings in Switzerland Investing sales in Swiss filmmaking. The same rule should also apply to foreign private broadcasters with Swiss advertising windows. Above all, liberal and right-wing conservative young politicians wanted to prevent this; they fear price increases due to the new investment obligation. With 58.4 percent yes votes, however, a majority joined the arguments of the supporters. Among other things, they argued that a small film market like Switzerland needs funding and that everyone who earns money on this market should participate.
The third proposal concerned Swiss participation in the EU border protection agency Frontex. Switzerland is part of the Schengen area, whose borders are guarded by Frontex, which is why the Swiss have been involved in agency operations since 2011 and also sit on the Frontex board of directors. Because the EU has decided to increase Frontex financially and in terms of personnel, Switzerland as a partner country must also go along with it. However, a left-wing alliance critical of Frontex has held a referendum against the corresponding regulation. Its core argument: Switzerland should not participate in an organization that symbolizes “Fortress Europe” like no other and that is repeatedly criticized for the illegal repatriation of migrants (pushbacks). However, a clear majority of 71.5 percent voted in favor of increasing Frontex resources and thus remaining in the Schengen area: the Swiss government had warned that if Switzerland voted no, it would risk being excluded from Schengen – given its geographical location huge economic and security problem. In addition, the supporters emphasized that Switzerland could only work towards an improvement in the situation at the borders as part of Frontex.