Swiss vote is boon for far-right ahead of EU parliament vote

(BRUSSELS) - Anti-EU parties already expected to do well in European Parliament elections in May claim the Swiss vote to curb immigration vindicates their stand.

"What the Swiss can do, we can do too," said Geert Wilders, leader of Holland's extreme-right PVV.

France's extreme right National Front party too hailed "the Swiss people's lucidity," calling for Paris to stop "mass immigration" while Austria's far-right FPO party said the country would vote the same way given the chance.

"With the (Swiss) referendum, it becomes more likely that the anti-Europeans will represent the biggest group in the European parliament, with a quarter of the MEPs," German daily Tagesspiegel said.

Up until the last moment, Brussels had hoped Swiss voters would reject the siren call of the right in one of the world's wealthiest countries.

Brussels had warned Switzerland it could not cherry-pick which EU accords it liked or not in a relationship based on dozens of bilateral agreements, especially in trade.

Instead, 50.3 percent of voters agreed with the country right-wing SVP's call to curb migrantion, prompting the European Commission to say it had no option but to "examine the implications of this initiative on EU-Swiss relations as a whole".

The "ball is in Switzerland's court," a Commission spokeswoman said Monday, describing freedom of movement as a "fundamental, non-negotiable" EU value.

The global financial crash, the eurozone debt crisis and then a deep recession have made EU citizens wary of what Brussels has to offer, stoking a sense of general insecurity.

Worse still, as Brussels took on more powers to tame the crisis through austerity, EU rules became more deeply involved in their daily lives but to no immediate benefit as the economy struggles and unemployment runs at record highs.

Against that backdrop, it is no surprise that voters are disillusioned and looking for alternatives, analysts said.

"In the 28 member states, a growing number of voters share this same sense of rejection, based on the same fears," said Jean-Yves Camus, analyst at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) in Paris.

Swiss vote, 'strong impact' on May polls

"The outcome will have a strong impact on the Euro-sceptic parties," said Daniela Schwarzer, director of the European Programme for the German Marshall Fund in Berlin.

Schwarzer said popular discontent with the EU has grown steadily, driven in part by the poor economic outlook, and immigration has become the lightning rod for a whole range of grievances.

The extremist parties, to both left and right, have seen the opening and moved the topic "into the mainstream," Schwarzer said.

"What this (Swiss vote) does reflect is that there is growing concern around the impact that free movement can have," British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman said Monday.

"That is why the prime minister and other ministers have been raising this issue, and will continue to do so, with their counterparts across the EU."

Schwarzer said the mainstream political parties "will have to look at the reasons why (immigration) has become such an issue."

The pro-EU parties "have to make clear a political agenda to offer some degree of (social) protection," she said, but this is a long-term project, without a quick fix.

"It will be very difficult for the moderates to turn this around by May," Schwarzer added.