Switzerland’s right-wing opposition Swiss People’s Party (SVP), the largest party in the Federal Assembly, is proposing new restrictions on who can apply for asylum in the country. The party wants the full implementation of the European Union’s ‘Dublin Regulation’, which states that asylum seekers must be dealt with by the first EU nation they enter, often Italy or Greece. It would mean sending back the vast majority of refugees, who travel to Switzerland by land, as very few arrive by plane with legal documents.

The Swiss government and some human rights groups have condemned the proposals as ‘inhumane’ and ‘unrealistic’; but with a string of referendums in recent years supporting the tightening of restrictions on asylum and limiting immigration, the SVP could have significant support.