EU-Swiss ties threatened by immigration vote

[BDforever]

Move to impose limits on EU immigrants triggers concern across 28-nation bloc and a potential review of relations.

European partners have threatened to review their relations with Switzerland after voters in the Alpine nation narrowly backed a proposal to curtail immigration from the EU in a referendum.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius described the vote on Monday, initiated by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) and opposed by the government in Berne, as a "worrying" move that showed Switzerland was withdrawing into itself.

"We're going to review our relations with Switzerland," Fabius told RTL radio. He added that the EU's agreement with Switzerland has a "guillotine clause" that means if one element is challeged, "then everything falls apart".

The vote was met with an averse response from EU leaders.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said "one of the achievements of the EU is the free movement of people and that can't be watered down.''

He said that if Switzerland does not honour that, it could lose its easy access to the world's biggest market.

Switzerland is not a member of the 28-nation EU, but a pact with Brussels has ensured the free movement of citizens to and from the bloc since 2002.

Sunday's vote to reintroduce immigration quotas, backed by a razor-thin margin of 19,526 voters, threatened that pact, and with it a key pillar of the Swiss economy, which relies on the EU for nearly one-fifth of its workforce.

'Considerable problems'

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said that while Berlin respected the result, it would create "considerable problems" for Switzerland's relationship with the EU. The European Commission said it went against the principle of free movement between the Alpine nation and the EU that has existed for over a decade.

"The EU will examine the implications of this initiative on EU-Swiss relations as a whole," the Commission said.

The vote has raised concern about the impact it will have on Swiss businesses and banks, who are dependent on the flow of foreign workers.

Although the Swiss government had urged voters to reject the introduction of EU immigration quotas, it is now obliged to write the results of the referendum into law. It will have a degree of flexibility as the referendum did not set specific quotas.

Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said on Sunday that the government planned to draft a law by the autumn, before approaching the EU with its plans.

Anger among parties that had opposed the vote was palpable on Monday, with the Swiss Liberal Democrats suggesting that Christoph Blocher, the billionaire industrialist and SVP lawmaker, be sent to Brussels himself to explain the vote.

"He has an obligation to find a good solution, together with the other parties," the FDP said in a statement.

source: EU-Swiss ties threatened by immigration vote - Europe - Al Jazeera English

 

[vostok]

The Swiss are doing right! First of all - taking care of own people! If migrants become a threat - they must be banned!

 

[flamer84]

The swiss are in deep trouble with this.If they'll get themselves walled in their economy is going to take a massive hit.The EU won't accept this,they can't just have all the perks being associated with the EU while ignoring other requirements,especially one so fundamental to the EU,free movement.

 

[Audio]

The swiss are in deep trouble with this.If they'll get themselves walled in their economy is going to take a massive hit.The EU won't accept this,they can't just have all the perks being associated with the EU while ignoring other requirements,especially one so fundamental to the EU,free movement.

Do check the table on this link.

Swiss Statistics - Nationality

The problem is, false asylum seekers, muddling the general image of immigrants, which aren't viewed with much affection in Switzerland anyway.
Uh and, the sheer scale of it, like 20% of population are foreign born and the general feeling of the country being steadily overun aren't helping also. Dark skinned beggars infront of malls, dark skinned stopping you on a resting spot on the autobahn, with some lame story about how they have to get somewhere and they don't have any money, but they do have gold to sell.......ofc, gold is fake.

Before anyone accuses me of racism, because i presume a lot of PDF members are dark skinned, i don't see it as racism if i see the members of the same ethnic/racial group doing it constantly.

 

[flamer84]

Do check the table on this link.

Swiss Statistics - Nationality

The problem is, false asylum seekers, muddling the general image of immigrants, which aren't viewed with much affection in Switzerland anyway.
Uh and, the sheer scale of it, like 20% of population are foreign born and the general feeling of the country being steadily overun aren't helping also. Dark skinned beggars infront of malls, dark skinned stopping you on a resting spot on the autobahn, with some lame story about how they have to get somewhere and they don't have any money, but they do have gold to sell.......ofc, gold is fake.

Before anyone accuses me of racism, because i presume a lot of PDF members are dark skinned, i don't see it as racism if i see the members of the same ethnic/racial group doing it constantly.

All valid points but it's a loose loose situation.If the EU overlooks this than other member states will do the same and bam!,there goes free movement.

I completely understand the swiss situation but they're at a crossroad here between the lesser evil.

Btw,dark skinned as in : africans,EE gypsies or both ?

 

[Audio]

All valid points but it's a loose loose situation.If the EU overlooks this than other member states will do the same and bam!,there goes free movement.

I completely understand the swiss situation but they're at a crossroad here between the lesser evil.

Btw,dark skinned as in : africans,EE gypsies or both ?

imho, this referendum was wrong. SVP ( Schweizerische Volkspartei, right party, quite fairly to the right, not extreme, but far far away from center) worded it against the EU, probably because wording it against all those false dark skinned asylum seekers would brand them instantly as a racist party.
So, they went after the next best thing....which are EU quotas, which iirc effect Germany's/Italy's citizens the most.

Dark skinned as in Africans, Asians, Gypsies.....the whole shabang. Switzerland is where milk and honey flow in the gallons. And it's all free.................

 

[senheiser]

I support Switzerland and their right for freedom against Brussel dictatorship. My german site has in fact its roots from switzerland.

If ukraine falls europe will look like this, so the remaining non EU agenda countries need to stick together and cooperate against EU Autocracy in europe.

reminds me of

 

[flamer84]

I support Switzerland and their right for freedom against Brussel dictatorship. My german site has in fact its roots from switzerland.

If ukraine falls europe will look like this, so the remaining non EU agenda countries need to stick together and cooperate against EU Autocracy in europe.

reminds me of

Well,this wasn't predictable at all,a commie playing the Nazi card...better make yp your mind commie: is the EU the new Reich or the new Soviet Union,you have conflicting ideeas.

And,as the final irony or better said final proof of the stupidity of some russian trumpets in here take a look who thanked the post denouncing the EU as an evil entity,a new Soviet Union....comrade @vostok ,the same vostok who for months is telling us that the Soviet Union was the best thing that happenned to mankind since the discovery of fire.

 

[rmi5]

I support Switzerland and their right for freedom against Brussel dictatorship. My german site has in fact its roots from switzerland.

If ukraine falls europe will look like this, so the remaining non EU agenda countries need to stick together and cooperate against EU Autocracy in europe.

reminds me of

@flamer84
Isn't it strange to call Belarus and Russia as the free Europe and call the rest of it as EUSSR dictatorship or I am missing some point here?

 

[senheiser]

Well,this wasn't predictable at all,a commie playing the Nazi card...better make yp your mind commie: is the EU the new Reich or the new Soviet Union,you have conflicting ideeas.

And,as the final irony or better said final proof of the stupidity of some russian trumpets in here take a look who thanked the post denouncing the EU as an evil entity,a new Soviet Union....comrade @vostok ,the same vostok who for months is telling us that the Soviet Union was the best thing that happenned to mankind since the discovery of fire.

its just a sideways joke, you guys wanted to be independent from soviet union and now you joined another union.

 

[xenon54 out]

Do check the table on this link.

Swiss Statistics - Nationality

The problem is, false asylum seekers, muddling the general image of immigrants, which aren't viewed with much affection in Switzerland anyway.
Uh and, the sheer scale of it, like 20% of population are foreign born and the general feeling of the country being steadily overun aren't helping also. Dark skinned beggars infront of malls, dark skinned stopping you on a resting spot on the autobahn, with some lame story about how they have to get somewhere and they don't have any money, but they do have gold to sell.......ofc, gold is fake.

Before anyone accuses me of racism, because i presume a lot of PDF members are dark skinned, i don't see it as racism if i see the members of the same ethnic/racial group doing it constantly.

Your absolutely right, im living in Switzerland in a border Town next to Germany and France.
We saw it live how the crime rate got upwards after the Schengen visa thing, mostly immigrants from France came here and broke into houses.
Im not overestimating it, you dont even need statistics you can see the changes with bare eyes on the streets, 2/3 of cars on the highways at Rush Hour are either French or German, these are all workers living in their country but working in Switzerland.
That means they dont pay the same taxes in Switzerand as the local workers, plus they are cheaper, its really a problem for Switzer unemployed people to find a job.

I am not Switzer my self but i can undertsand it if they wanna regulate the immigration in their country since Swiss has a high rate of immigrants, and they are right if they say immigrants are much more criminal than locals, this problem is reality and not any racist statement.

 

[-SINAN-]

I support Switzerland and their right for freedom against Brussel dictatorship. My german site has in fact its roots from switzerland.

If ukraine falls europe will look like this, so the remaining non EU agenda countries need to stick together and cooperate against EU Autocracy in europe.

Why you guys involved us.....

 

[xenon54 out]

Why you guys involved us.....

Maybe because Turkey is in talks with EU about a Memebership.

 

[flamer84]

its just a sideways joke, you guys wanted to be independent from soviet union and now you joined another union. The only one contradictory is you romanians and other eastern european whiner who whine about soviet union but suck now on german union controlled cock

Reported for being a very rude commie.

@flamer84
Isn't it strange to call Belarus and Russia as the free Europe and call the rest of it as EUSSR dictatorship or I am missing some point here?

Indeed but this is russkie/commie propaganda.You'll have to remember that these were the guys that before 1989 were telling us that we have the easy,nice life while in the decadent West they were all treated like slaves.They have no shame.

 

[Declein]

The Swiss can vote whatever they want, especially if they understand the consequences for their country ( all the other economic treaties with the EU are on the table as of now).

@ LOL at the Russians comparing the EU with the Soviets, lay down the vodka bottle guys