EU Blackmails Switzerland For a Billion Swiss Franc

Swiss voters have in a referendum approved with a 53% majority a new deal with the EU. Or actually, calling it "a deal" is a bit misleading. It is more like blackmail.

Switzerland is not a part of the EU, but being completely geographically surrounded by EU states and having 70% of its trade with the EU, its economy depends on having good trade relations with the EU. So, they have instead tried to achieve a free trade agreement with the EU. Since free trade is mutually beneficial one would have thought that this would be a no-brainer.

But the EU, knowing that little Switzerland depend far more on them than vice versa, told the Swiss that they cannot just cherry pick the advantages of the EU, while completely opting out of paying money to the EU budget. So the EU told the Swiss: pay us a billion swiss franc per year, or we'll institute trade barriers that would harm the Swiss economy even more. Pure blackmail, in other words. The EU will thus get to enjoy the benefits of free trade with Switzerland and cherry pick another billion swiss franc, while the swiss will have to pay up a billion swiss franc in "protection money" to the Don Corleones of Brussells.