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A signpost shows the way to voting for the referendum in Bern.
Photo: Anthony Anex / dpa
The Swiss population seems to be clearly in favor of expanding the EU border protection agency Frontex.
In a referendum on Sunday, according to projections, 72 percent of those eligible to vote voted for Switzerland to participate in the financial and personnel expansion of the authority.
The clear yes to Frontex financing can also be seen as a reaction to the Ukraine war, comments the »Neue Zürcher Zeitung«.
Switzerland wants to strengthen Europe's unity and defenses against the Kremlin's hybrid warfare.
In 2019, the EU decided to provide Frontex with more money and staff.
As a member of the Schengen area, Switzerland is obliged to support the expansion.
In 2021, Switzerland contributed CHF 24 million to Frontex operations.
By 2027, the amount will gradually increase to CHF 61 million.
In the run-up to the referendum, the Swiss government had warned that if the reform were rejected, the country would be excluded from the Schengen area.
Refugee organizations and left-wing parties, who accuse Frontex of human rights violations, had campaigned for the Swiss to say no to the expansion of Frontex.
SPIEGEL research has revealed how the Greek coast guard, with the help of Frontex, deliberately abandoned men, women and children at sea in the Aegean Sea so that they could not apply for asylum in Europe.
Director General Fabrice Leggeri covered up these illegal pushbacks.
He has since resigned from his post.
But Frontex continues to make headlines: In the European Parliament there are doubts about the budget management of the border protection authority.
vet/AFP/dpa
