Schengen: Ja

So, the Schengen agreement passed this weekend. Basically, the usually independence-minded (another word might be xenophobic) Swiss people voted to ease border controls and join a 25-country passport free zone, starting in 2007. The vote also gives a boost of confidence to the E.U. after its constitution was voted down in France and the Netherlands.

Fifty-five percent of voters were in favor, despite a strong ad campaign from the opposition. Below are a couple of their ads, which were basically plastered all over the country for the past month.

When I first saw these ads (translated they mean basically "lose your safety? lose your job?") I thought they were a joke. I guess the voters felt that way too. Now there is nothing standing in the way of more dirty foreigners (like myself) from flooding the country and taking all the neat jobs.

This is a triumph for the Swiss government, which was strongly in favor of the legislation - which also helps Swiss police share information with EU colleagues, among other things.

(T minus three days until the great Dutch adventure. I'm so excited I can't even tie my shoes.)