Direkte Demokratie in der Schweiz – Landesbericht 2015-2017

This country report describes the reduced need for reform of the public initiative procedure in Switzerland. It also analyzes the implementation of a number of initiatives criticized for their violation of public international law. The report finds that parliament ameliorates the harshness of the initiatives by introducing hardship clauses safeguarding the proportionality of the initiative's application. As an initiative expressly targeted against the supremacy of public international law, the sovereignty initiative is closely scrutinized. Finally, the government's problem in reforming corporate taxation is evident in the clear majority of votes (59%) against the third version of the reform.