Switzerland: Voters choose to introduce quotas on EU immigration

Photograph by Ian Lord

Voters in Switzerland have backed a proposal to introduce quotas for all types of immigration.

The proposal from the nationalist People’s Party (SVP) won 50.3% of the vote, with the Swiss government now left to renegotiate its free movement treaties with the EU and convince member states that they are still a reliable partner. Much of Swiss trade is dependant on the EU, and its government will need to go on a diplomatic offensive to maintain good relations.

In a statement, the European Commission said it regretted that Switzerland had voted to introduce quotas, continuing:

“This goes against the principle of free movement of persons between the EU and Switzerland. The EU will examine the implications of this initiative on EU-Swiss relations as a whole.”

Although Switzerland is not an EU member state, it signed onto the EU accord for free movement of citizens in 1999 and implemented it from 2002 with an estimated million EU citizens currently living in Switzerland, and 400,000 Swiss living in the EU.