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GENEVA (AP) — Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected calls for immediate membership talks with the European Union on Sunday, underlining the Alpine nation's tenacious independence at the heart of the continent.
In a national referendum, an unexpectedly high 77 percent voted against the "Yes to Europe" proposal, which called for the government to begin talks on joining the economic and trading bloc.
The government had campaigned against the proposal, submitted by a coalition of left-wing and youth groups in 1996, as politically premature.
"We are very pleased with the result," said Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger. "It is a unified political response from the whole country."
In some German-speaking states — traditionally the most skeptical of the EU — the no vote topped 85 percent. Even in normally pro-European French-speaking states like Geneva, a majority came out against the membership talks.
Although the seven-member Cabinet has repeatedly stated it wants Switzerland to join the EU, it argues that public opinion won't permit that until at least 2010. And even that may be an ambitious target given the size of the no vote indicated in Sunday's referendum.
In Brussels, a spokesman for the EU executive Commission played down the snub.
"The Swiss did not say no to Europe. They chose to answer the question later," said EU spokesman Luc Veron. "And this is obviously a choice that the European Commission respects."
However, there is a danger that the EU may simply run out of patience with tiny Switzerland as it tries to cement its own economic union and deal with more willing membership recruits from eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Even though they are surrounded by EU countries, the six million Swiss are fiercely independent and take pride in their sovereignty. Government plans to join a very loose European trade pact were thrown out in a 1992 referendum, and since then authorities have put integration on the back-burner. Switzerland is not even a member of the United Nations because of deep mistrust of outside interference.
Economically, Switzerland is thriving. Last year there was a record budget surplus of $2.6 billion, and consumer confidence is at a 12-year high. Inflation and unemployment are only about 2 percent, and foreign companies are flocking to set up headquarters in Switzerland.
Swiss companies and banks, which used to be enthusiastic advocates of EU membership, have cooled to the prospect. The main financial industry group, Economiesuisse, welcomed the outcome and said it would allow more time to realize the benefits of bilateral free trade agreements reached with the EU two years ago in areas like transport, labor and agriculture.
There also seems little support for dropping the Swiss franc in favor of the euro. And banks are increasingly fretful over EU pressure on Switzerland to end its hallowed banking secrecy as part of Europe-wide moves to root out tax evasion.
Recent hints by the EU executive commission that some member countries might link ratification of the bilateral accords to Swiss concessions on bank secrecy caused widespread outrage, as did a French assembly report which renewed old accusations that Switzerland is a haven for dirty money.
The pro-European lobby said that the timing of the foreign criticism helped boost the anti-European vote.
"It's an absolutely brutal defeat," said Ruedi Baumann, president of the Green Party.
Just 598,108 people — 23 percent — voted for the proposal and not a single state was in favor. Voter turnout was 55 percent, higher than for most referendums.
Christoph Blocher, Switzerland's most vociferous critic of the EU, was jubilant. He said the government should now drop EU membership plans for good.
Predicting the result, the pro-European dimanche.ch Sunday newspaper criticized the concern for short-term economic gain and disregard for the greater European good. Such a stance was emptying Switzerland of its moral principles and its soul, the paper said.
"If the no-lobby wins," it said, "would the last person to leave the country please turn out the light."