More democracy for the European Union!

A sober look at the EU treaties

by Thomas Scherr*

(19 December 2025) The Swiss debate on the European Union is characterised by vague and lukewarm reporting. On 13 June 2025, after weeks of secrecy, the treaties with the European Union were presented for consultation, together with a 931-page “explanatory report.” After the announcement, one would have expected a lively, argumentative debate in the media.

Instead, there is a trickle of reports, and when they do appear, they are “factual”, “positive,” and “neutral”, as if the aim were to sound out positions on some trivial issue. Basically, the reporting could come directly from Brussels, so dovish and friendly is the way our mainstream media presents the matter.

It is therefore not surprising that criticism of the new treaty is being dismissed as exaggerated and excessive – but in fact, it concerns the very essence of the Swiss Confederation. This raises two questions:

• Can Swiss citizens continue to determine their own destiny?
• What characterises the European Union today?

The crucial point of the treaties with the European Union is whether Switzerland can remain independent. According to the Federal Council, this issue has been resolved. However, after the agreement was published, this premature assertion evaporated into thin air. No, Switzerland will no longer be independent! On the contrary, not the will of the Swiss people will prevail anymore, but ultimately always “EU law”. Yet since the announcement, there has been little mention of this in the media.

According to the treaties, in the event of disagreements with the European Union, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will have the final say in accordance with applicable EU law!¹ Switzerland will have to submit to this jurisdiction bit by bit and gradually adopt the laws and regulations of the European Union.²

Laws from Brussels

Those who dislike referendums and prefer to be governed from above, those who feel that those at the top know better and act correctly, could live with the draft EU treaty for the time being. They would increasingly have less and less to decide for themselves. Others would be happy to do that for them. But this “joy” would not last for long …

The political price of the treaty is enormously high. In the short and medium term, our laws would be predetermined in Brussels. Not directly. All it would take is for an EU “competitor” or the EU Commission itself to complain that this or that Swiss regulation “hinders free competition because EU law is not applied here” – then the Swiss authorities would have to report legal compliance to Brussels, or the country would have to pay horrendous penalties.³

And the limits are narrow: Switzerland would not be allowed to violate the acquis communautaire,⁴ that huge body of law with its more than 80,000 pages of EU laws and regulations. Even an initiative or referendum from the population, whether at the municipal, cantonal, or federal level, would not be allowed to violate the acquis communautaire … and every year, an average of 2,500 new laws are added …

Who enacts laws and regulations in Brussels?

Who enacts the laws and regulations in Brussels? Who governs the European Union? Who would then rule over Switzerland? No, it is not the voters in the European Union itself, nor is it the 720 extremely well-paid parliamentarians in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The European Union is not a democracy by far. That hurts, even if we euphemistically refer to it as a mere “democratic deficit.”⁵ The powers of the legislature, i.e., the EU Parliament and thus the elected representatives of the people, are very limited.

The leadership of the European Union, the EU Commission, consists of the President and 27 Commissioners (one representative from each country). Only they can propose laws and regulations without restriction (the Parliament cannot). They can also take legal action against individual states before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) (see below).

Because there is no effective democratic control, the Commission’s corruption cases fill volumes. Currently, the President, Ursula von der Leyen, and two former Commissioners (Frederica Mogherini and Eva Kaili) are in the spotlight.⁶ Despite all this, politics in the individual states is increasingly determined by the EU Commission.

Like the strong gravitational centre of a “black hole” in the universe, Brussels is seizing powers from its member states. For decades now, over 80% of national laws and regulations have no longer been decided in the individual member states themselves but have been prescribed by Brussels. The EU Commission, together with the ECJ, is increasingly governing the individual states. These states must comply with the laws and regulations prescribed by the Brussels headquarters without being able to exert much influence themselves. The individual parliaments are now only allowed to rubber-stamp decisions. With the new treaties, this would also be the fate of Switzerland.

The total number of civil servants and employees of the European Union is estimated by the EU Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) itself at over 60,000,⁷ nota bene, well-paid positions.

EU member states that do not follow the Brussels line are put under enormous pressure. Although, for example, a majority of the Polish or Hungarian population does not share the EU’s gender views, these are being imposed on them by a ruling of the European Court of Justice. The means of pressure are the withdrawal of EU funds (e.g., for agriculture) or exclusion from EU programs (e.g., Erasmus+). If this pressure is not enough, it goes as far as political bullying (e.g., Austria, 2000).

However, Brussels itself is constantly overstepping its financial and political authority. Brussels is taking on huge new debts via “special funds” (Next Generation EU (NGEU), Ukraine “reparation loan”). This was never the intention. There is no longer any serious counter-financing.⁸

Gigantic obligations (debts) of individual EU states are already weighing on Germany as the “EU guarantor”, without the country ever being able to bear them (Target 2,⁹ European Stability Mechanism ESM, and guarantee for Euroclear¹⁰). It is therefore not surprising that there is a very strong interest in Brussels in tying “rich” Switzerland to the European Union – except that this has not yet become an issue in Switzerland itself …

The EU is known for its excessive and exuberant bureaucracy, which even regulates and sanctions the curvature of bananas, gender implementation, and pizza production.

But recent legislative proposals, such as the total surveillance of citizens (Digital Services Act, DSA) and the introduction of a digital central bank, have almost Orwellian characteristics¹¹ and go far beyond the scope of a liberal society … Yet surprisingly little is known about this in Switzerland …

The Brussels elites are increasingly disconnecting themselves from their citizens and are governing in a bubble outside of any effective democratic control. Rampant corruption and gigantic debts are the consequences.

Why choose the past?

What would the future of Switzerland look like with the EU treaties and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as the final legal authority? Decisions would then be made neither by the people, nor by the cantons, nor in Bern. Black limousines and private jets from all over the world arrive in Brussels. The lingua franca is English.

In the lobby halls of Brussels, with thousands of lobbyists, deals on laws and regulations are negotiated between the EU Commission, members of parliament and bureaucrats, as well as transnational corporations, shadow banks and lobbyists. However, these deals ultimately affect every citizen in Switzerland directly in the form of laws or regulations.

Opportunities to lodge objections against (nonsensical) decisions or (ridiculous) regulations will then be limited to “toothless” EU petitions¹² – like the letters of petition from German farmers to their emperor asking him to help them … Brussels is far away, and all decisions must bow to the acquis communautaire. “Initiative” and “referendum” are foreign words in Brussels.

The population is not perceived as sovereign in Brussels. It is rather seen as a potential disruptive factor in governing, and at best it is factored in as a “human resource” for potential business deals.

In terms of democratic history, the European Union is at least 200 years behind Switzerland. In the European Union, an aloof power apparatus disenfranchises its citizens, generously distributes their money while taking on new debts in their name.

It is scandalous that the Federal Council, under the leadership of Ignazio Cassis, was able to submit such an “agreement” for consultation in the first place. It is the exact opposite of the “reset button” that Cassis promised in 2018 in negotiations with the European Union. It looks more like an attempt to secretly get rid of the country’s independence.

Better without this agreement

These agreements are a slap in the face for every Swiss citizen! They are not needed. The existing independent path allows Switzerland to continue to conclude agreements with all countries in the world on its own terms. This not only has economic advantages but also serves the common good. Citizens can continue to make decisions locally that are right for them. Economic agreements remain tied to the country’s conditions and ultimately serve everyone in the country.

Of course, EU regulations can be adopted voluntarily – but not “automatically”. Switzerland is not only open to the European Union as a negotiating partner, but to the whole world. Agreements with Brazil, India, China, the US, or South America are currently possible without Brussels’ input – tailored to the country.

Of course, Brussels will have to negotiate! It is broke, in economic decline, shaken by social problems, and increasingly embroiled in a costly war. Over 80 years ago, even the “greatest military commander of all time” had to negotiate with Switzerland through gritted teeth.

More democracy in the EU!

Not less democracy in Switzerland, but more democracy in the EU! This would finally mean more say for the citizens of the European Union, which they are still waiting for despite all the promises made over the past 30 years.

Not less democracy in Switzerland, but more democracy in the EU! For everyone, this means less top down and more bottom up; more common sense, less bureaucracy! It means votings on specific issues; initiatives, referendums, subsidiarity, federalism. In Switzerland, these are more than just buzzwords. They improve human coexistence and increase contentment. That is what we wish for all people in the European Union!

*  Thomas Scherr works as an independent author for “Swiss Standpoint”.

(Translation “Swiss Standpoint”)

1 Cf. Carl Baudenbacher. https://insideparadeplatz.ch/2025/09/28/bundesrat-verheimlicht-macht-des-eu-gerichts/, 28 September 2025 or
cf. Paul Richli. “Das verändert unser Land.” NZZ am Sonntag. 15 November 2025

2 Ibid.

3 EU aktuell, e.g. Österreich, https://tkp.at/2025/11/24/weitere-eu-vertragsverletzungsverfahren-gegen-oesterreich/, 24 November 2025

4 “Acquis Communautaire” refers to all applicable legal provisions in the European Union that are binding on all member states. It consists of the primary law of the EU treaties, secondary law (all legal acts such as regulations and directives) and the judgments of the Court of Justice, as well as all international treaties on EU matters.
In order to become a member of the European Union, countries wishing to join are required to accept the acquis, transpose the Community acquis into national law in advance, and apply it after accession. As a rule, new legislation or amendments were simply added to the existing texts.

5 Even in the whitewashing Wikipedia, one cannot help but notice “deficits.”
Cf. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demokratiedefizit_der_Europ%C3%A4ischen_Union

6 Cf. Ursula von der Leyen: https://tkp.at/2025/09/29/eu-parlament-dreht-pfizer-untersuchung-ab/, 29 September 2025
cf. Fredrica Mogherini: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/belgien-bruessel-razzia-korruption-100.html, 2 December 2025
cf. Eva Kaili: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/kaili-hausarrest-eu-korruptionsskandal-101.html, 12 April 2023

7 Cf. https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/914902/4d182b180acf0836792c7acbdaf0d96d/PE-6-045-22-pdf.pdf, 2022

8 Only a few countries in the European Union still meet the EU stability criteria set out in the Maastricht Treaty.

9 Cf. https://www.finanztrends.de/wissen/die-wahrheit-ueber-die-target-2-salden-verstaendlich-erklaert/

10 Cf. ESM and Europäische Finanzstabilisierungsfazilität (EFSF) https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/das-europalexikon/309405/europaeischer-stabilitaetsmechanismus-esm/currently the German guarantee for Russian state assets stolen from Euroclaer: https://tkp.at/2025/12/13/die-rechnung-fuer-die-illegale-beschlagnahmung-russischer-gelder-durch-die-eu-zahlen-die-buerger/

11 Cf. on surveillance: https://tkp.at/2025/11/27/eu-rat-beschliesst-chatkontrolle/, 27 November 2025
cf. https://overton-magazin.de/top-story/die-informationsmauer-oder-das-europaeische-demokratieschild-der-eu-kommission/, 17 November 2025
cf. https://netzpolitik.org/2025/lobbyismus-palantir-mitarbeiterin-sass-beim-souveraenitaetsgipfel-mit-macron-und-merz-am-tisch/, 27 November 2025
cf. https://journalistenwatch.com/2025/11/12/totalitaere-eu-ueberwachung-chatkontrolle-soll-durch-die-hintertuer-doch-kommen-und-von-der-leyen-plant-auch-noch-eigenen-geheimdienst/, 12 November 2025
cf. on digital money: https://tkp.at/2025/11/11/bargeldlose-eu-in-847-tagen-nein-aber-es-ist-schlimmer/, 11 November 2025
cf. https://www.epochtimes.de/politik/ezb-macht-tempo-beim-digitalen-euro-was-das-fuer-die-zukunft-des-bargeldes-bedeutet-a5300012.html

12 cf. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/de/be-heard/petitions