Swiss House committee rejects initiative to simplify naturalisation

The responsible committee in the House of Representatives has rejected a popular initiative that would transfer naturalisation regulations to the federal government and shorten deadlines. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The House's Political Institutions Committee voted against the popular initiative "In favour of modern civil rights (democracy initiative)" by 17 votes to 8. This was announced by the parliamentary services on Friday. It rejected motions for counter-proposals. The full House of Representatives will now decide. The initiative demands that the federal government should be responsible for naturalisation legislation rather than the cantons. Applicants should be entitled to naturalisation after just five years of legal residence in the country, regardless of whether they have a permanent residence permit. The prerequisites should be a basic knowledge of a national language and no serious criminal offences. At present, only those who have a C ...