Swiss narrowly vote to join European passport-free zone

A NARROW majority of Swiss voters approved joining an EU passport-free zone, abolishing checks on the country’s border by 2007, according to final results from a two-issue national referendum yesterday.

In a second vote, a larger majority favoured granting more rights to same-sex couples in the first national referendum on such an issue in Europe.

About 55% of voters favoured joining the EU's passport-free "Schengen" zone, indicating that the Swiss favour closer integration with the EU of which Switzerland is not a member. That mean Swiss customs controls would remain in place.

The result goes against the prevailing mood in the EU, which is reeling from the past week's rejections by French and Dutch voters of a proposed constitution for the 25-nation bloc.

Before the referendum, experts predicted that those rejections would encourage opponents of the passport-free zone. Opinion polls showed that the majority support for joining the zone narrowed rapidly before voting day.

The coalition government favoured joining the EU and the "Schengen" zone, but most of Switzerland's German speakers who make up about two-thirds of the population opposed greater integration with the continent.

The 15 members of Europe's passport-free zone are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

About 58% of voters favoured increased rights for same-sex couples, meaning they are treated the same as married couples for tax and pension purposes.

They would not be allowed to adopt or undergo fertility treatment.