All along the border

All along the border

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As Switzerland prepares for a referendum on whether to limit the number of migrants to the country, Reuters photographer Denis Balibouse has documented its 1,852 km border with Austria, Liechtenstein, France, Italy and Germany.

The vote will be the second anti-immigration referendum in Switzerland in just nine months, on the heels of a right-wing initiative to introduce quotas on EU citizens that was narrowly backed by voters earlier this year.

. VILLERS-LE-LAC, France. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

In Switzerland's system of direct democracy, any voter can trigger a referendum by collecting 100,000 signatures within 18 months.

Environmentalist group Ecopop has proposed capping the number of immigrants at just 16,000 people per year, saying it is concerned about a lack of living space exerting too much pressure on the land and natural resources, rather than by opposition to foreigners.

Free movement of people is one of the fundamental policies of the EU, and Switzerland, while not a member of the 28-nation bloc, has to uphold that principle in order to benefit from favourable trade conditions.

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A Swiss aircraft is seen at Cointrin airport on the border dividing France and Switzerland in Ferney Voltaire near Geneva.
. FERNEY VOLTAIRE, FRANCE. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A Swiss aircraft is seen at Cointrin airport on the border dividing France and Switzerland in Ferney Voltaire near Geneva.

A bed lies directly across the French-Swiss border, with the head of the bed in Switzerland and its foot in France, at the Hotel Arbez in Les Rousses.
. LES ROUSSES, FRANCE. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A bed lies directly across the French-Swiss border, with the head of the bed in Switzerland and its foot in France, at the Hotel Arbez in Les Rousses.

Luta Menduh, captain of the Leman boat of the Compagnie Generale de Navigation (CGN), steers his ship on Lake Leman on the border between Switzerland and France.
. LAUSANNE, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Luta Menduh, captain of the Leman boat of the Compagnie Generale de Navigation (CGN), steers his ship on Lake Leman on the border between Switzerland and France.

A sign marks the border between France and Switzerland on the disused Tonkin railway track in Saint-Gingolph.
. SAINT-GINGOLPH, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A sign marks the border between France and Switzerland on the disused Tonkin railway track in Saint-Gingolph.

A Fleur-de-lis coat of arms and the Franche Comte Lion are painted on a marker dating back to 1649 on the border between France (front) and Switzerland (back) in the Marguerites Forest near Lajoux.
. LAJOUX, FRANCE. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A Fleur-de-lis coat of arms and the Franche Comte Lion are painted on a marker dating back to 1649 on the border between France (front) and Switzerland (back) in the Marguerites Forest near Lajoux.

Stalagmites are pictured in a cave on the border between France and Switzerland in Reclere.
. RECLERE, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Stalagmites are pictured in a cave on the border between France and Switzerland in Reclere.

A replica of a Diatryma bird stands in the dinosaur-themed Prehisto Parc on the Swiss-French border in Reclere.
. RECLERE, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A replica of a Diatryma bird stands in the dinosaur-themed Prehisto Parc on the Swiss-French border in Reclere.

Military enthusiasts dressed as World War One soldiers shake hands during a re-enactment in Le Largin near Bonfol. The kilometre zero (zero mile marker) of the World War One frontline is found in Le Largin.
. BONFOL, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Military enthusiasts dressed as World War One soldiers shake hands during a re-enactment in Le Largin near Bonfol. The kilometre zero (zero mile marker) of the World War One frontline is found in Le Largin.

The Dreiländereck (Three Countries’ Corner) is seen on the Rhein river where the border between France, Switzerland and Germany meet in Basel.
. BASEL, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The Dreiländereck (Three Countries’ Corner) is seen on the Rhein river where the border between France, Switzerland and Germany meet in Basel.

Tourists have their picture taken on a 400-year-old wooden bridge on the border dividing Switzerland and Germany in Stein.
. STEIN, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Tourists have their picture taken on a 400-year-old wooden bridge on the border dividing Switzerland and Germany in Stein.

A customs sign lies on a wooden bridge over the Rhein river between Switzerland and Germany in Rheinau.
. RHEINAU, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A customs sign lies on a wooden bridge over the Rhein river between Switzerland and Germany in Rheinau.

A marker is pictured in a field on the border between Switzerland and Germany in Blumberg.
. BLUMBERG, Germany. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A marker is pictured in a field on the border between Switzerland and Germany in Blumberg.

Peter Albrecht pushes his boat on the Rhein river between Switzerland (left bank) and Germany in the German enclave of Buesingen am Hochrhein.
. BUESINGEN AM HOCHRHEIN, Germany. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Peter Albrecht pushes his boat on the Rhein river between Switzerland (left bank) and Germany in the German enclave of Buesingen am Hochrhein.

People enjoy the water in the Alter Rhein on the border between Austria (right) and Switzerland in Diepoldsau.
. DIEPOLDSAU, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

People enjoy the water in the Alter Rhein on the border between Austria (right) and Switzerland in Diepoldsau.

A tractor drives past World War Two military defences on the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland in Flaesch.
. FLAESCH, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A tractor drives past World War Two military defences on the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland in Flaesch.

A sign stands on the Punt dal Gall dam marking the border between Italy and Switzerland in Zernez.
. ZERNEZ, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A sign stands on the Punt dal Gall dam marking the border between Italy and Switzerland in Zernez.

A marker is pictured at the Dreisprachenspitze (Three Languages Peak) on the border between Italy and Switzerland in Tschierv. It is so named because that is where the German, Italian and Romansh languages meet.
. TSCHIERV, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A marker is pictured at the Dreisprachenspitze (Three Languages Peak) on the border between Italy and Switzerland in Tschierv. It is so named because that is where the German, Italian and Romansh languages meet.

A marker stands on a ridge dividing the border between Switzerland (left) and Italy (right) at the Monte Generoso.
. MONTE GENEROSO, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A marker stands on a ridge dividing the border between Switzerland (left) and Italy (right) at the Monte Generoso.

A gate closes a railway track on the border between Italy and Switzerland near Stabio.
. STABIO, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A gate closes a railway track on the border between Italy and Switzerland near Stabio.

Swiss customs officers walk back to their vehicle after checking a path on the border between Italy and Switzerland in Arzo.
. ARZO, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Swiss customs officers walk back to their vehicle after checking a path on the border between Italy and Switzerland in Arzo.

Climbers leave the summit of Breithorn, on the ridge marking the border with Switzerland (left) and Italy.
. ZERMATT, Switzerland. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Climbers leave the summit of Breithorn, on the ridge marking the border with Switzerland (left) and Italy.