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Switzerland votes in favour of continued free movement with EU

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Today (27 September), Swiss citizens voted in a referendum to reject a proposal, sponsored by the Swiss People’s Party, to end the free movement of persons into Switzerland from the EU. 61.69% of voters rejected the initiative.

Surrounded by EU member states the Swiss economy has very close ties to Europe’s economy. About 1.4 million EU citizens live in Switzerland and 450,000 Swiss live in the EU. Another 320,000 EU citizens cross the border daily to work in Switzerland. Free movement was initially granted under a 1999 agreement. The agreement includes the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, the right to buy property and social insurance benefits. Had the referendum been successful it would have brought this agreement to an end.

The chairman of the European Parliament’s delegation for Switzerland, Andreas Schwab MEP (DE, CDU), said: “The result of the referendum is proof that the Swiss citizens want to keep working with the EU. Switzerland and the EU are more than just very good partners. Every year Switzerland exports goods worth 109 billion euros to the EU.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the referendum result: "I welcome this outcome. I see it as a positive signal to continue to consolidate and deepen our relationship. I will soon speak to Mrs Sommaruga, President of the Swiss Confederation. I will congratulate her on this result.  Of course, I look forward to the Swiss Federal Council now moving swiftly on the signature and ratification of the International Framework Agreement that we negotiated in 2018."

Schwab is also anxious to complete the framework agreement between the EU and Switzerland, negotiations have taken place over four years and structural compromises were reached. He said: “We want this agreement because it creates legal certainty - for Europeans and Swiss! Strong relations with Switzerland are in the interests of the EU and Switzerland must now take into account the close cooperation it wants with the EU.”

Schwab has called on the Swiss government to be more courageous in defending and explaining the outcome of the negotiations with the EU to their people, he said he thought that the Swiss people may be a step ahead of their politicians.

For several years, Switzerland and the EU have been working towards solutions for the remaining institutional issues in the area of market access (legal developments, interpretation, supervision and dispute settlement). An institutional framework agreement (IFA) would allow for the consolidation and development of reciprocal market access.

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The three main concerns of the Swiss on the IFA concern: Legal certainty for the current level of wage protection in Switzerland, (ii) exclusion of horizontal effects of the rules on state aid and (iii) no obligation for an integral adoption of the Citizens Rights Directive. The Swiss negotiators believe that it is only with assurances in these areas that they will be able to secure the necessary internal support.

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