Switzerland votes to end mass immigration and de facto voids EU 'Free Movement'

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireS...ation-22430566

Switzerland invalidates EU Free Movement in immigration referendum

Voters in Switzerland on Sunday narrowly backed a plan to limit immigration, in a blow for the government after it had warned that the measure could harm the Swiss economy and relations with the European Union.

Swiss public television SRF reported that some 50.3 percent of voters backed a proposal by the nationalist People's Party to introduce quotas for all types of immigrants. About 49.7 percent voted against the plan. The difference between the two sides was fewer than 30,000 votes, with a turnout of about 56 percent.

The decision means that the Swiss government will need to renegotiate treaties on the free movement of workers that it had painstakingly hammered out with the EU. Until now, citizens from most EU member states could live and work in Switzerland with little formality, while Swiss citizens could do the same in the 28-nation bloc that encircles the Alpine nation.

Two years ago Switzerland introduced quotas for immigrants from eight central and eastern European nations, a move that already drew heavy criticism from the EU. Ahead of Sunday's referendum business groups warned that many of the 80,000 people who moved to Switzerland last year are vital for the country's economy, and curtailing immigration further could cost Swiss citizens' jobs too.

"We always thought the argument about jobs would win people over," said Urs Schwaller, a lawmaker with the centrist Christian People's Party, told SRF. "Clearly that wasn't enough."

Schwaller said the Swiss government would now need to launch a diplomatic offensive, explaining to the EU that its hands are bound by the referendum while trying to avoid sanctions from Brussels.

"We need to show the European Union that we're a reliable partner," he said.

The new proposal forces the government to draft a law extending quotas to immigrants from Western Europe and introduce limits on all foreigners' rights to bring in family members or access Swiss social services.

Almost a quarter of the 8 million people living in Switzerland are foreigners. This is partly due to Switzerland's healthy economy and high salaries.

But Switzerland's restrictive citizenship laws also mean many people who were born in the country or have lived there for a long time don't have a Swiss passport, inflating the share of foreigners compared to other countries.

The People's Party — which has more than a quarter of seats in the lower house of Parliament — launched a massive campaign in favor of limiting immigration, hoping to emulate the success of other referendums in recent years that targeted foreigners. Some posters showed a huge tree crushing a map of Switzerland, while others depicted a heavily veiled woman beneath the headline "1 million Muslims soon?"

According to official figures about 500,000 people in the nation of 8 million identified themselves as Muslim. Many of them are former refugees who fled to Switzerland during the Balkan wars in the 1990s. Only a minority are actively religious.

In a local referendum in the eastern municipality of Au-Heerbrugg, voters decided to impose a ban on Muslim girls wearing headscarves at a local primary school.

Well done to the Swiss.

They've ignored the **** that politicians and leading figures tried to feed them, telling them that if they voted to impose immigration controls that their economy would collapse. That the EU would stop trading with them. That without mass immigration, economic growth would grind to a halt. It was all total RUBBISH and the Swiss have decided to put themselves and their culture first. Good on them.

Tiny Switzerland, not even an EU member and not even in the world's top 10 economies is taking control of it's own destiny. Let's hear no more total hogwash that Britain cannot make it alone in this world or that our culture is worth sacrificing for a few points of GDP growth with the influx foreign workers. This referendum gives me hope too, that when our referendum on the EU does come - it goes to show that we can win it even when the media and all the political class are scaremongering the electorate into thinking otherwise.

Thoughts?

[Kardan]

Shouldn't we wait to see how things turn out first?

[Aiden]

Good on them lol. I don't really understand this stuff but will Swiss people be stopped from moving around the EU now?

[Kardan]

Good on them lol. I don't really understand this stuff but will Swiss people be stopped from moving around the EU now?

Switzerland were never in the EU, so nothing should change for Swiss citizens. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what it has to do with the EU - just that the EU doesn't like their plans.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Shouldn't we wait to see how things turn out first?

Well if you believe the politicians, the Swiss economy should be in meltdown right now. It's not.

Besides we don't need Switzerland to prove the fact that you don't need to be in the EU or have mass immigration to have a successful economy. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many countries around the world are non-EU members and have sensible borders controls.

Switzerland were never in the EU, so nothing should change for Swiss citizens. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what it has to do with the EU - just that the EU doesn't like their plans.

Good on them lol. I don't really understand this stuff but will Swiss people be stopped from moving around the EU now?

Switzerland wasn't in the EU but it was included in EU Free Movement of people's. So to answer the above question, I think this does mean that Swiss people will now have to submit to border controls when they travel out of Switzerland. But so what? 5 minutes in a queue like when you visit Turkey. Swiss people won't be 'stopped' from travelling around Europe just as Canadians and Australians aren't stopped from travelling to and from European countries.

[Kardan]

Well if you believe the politicians, the Swiss economy should be in meltdown right now. It's not.

Besides we don't need Switzerland to prove the fact that you don't need to be in the EU or have mass immigration to have a successful economy. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many countries around the world are non-EU members and have sensible borders controls.

Why would it be in meltdown? The Swiss haven't even introduced the new laws yet.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Why would it be in meltdown? The Swiss haven't even introduced the new laws yet.

Because as we keep getting told, even talking about a referendum apparently has business leaders on the verge of pulling out investment of Britain because they're scared we'll leave the EU. It 'harms our economy' and 'creates uncertainty in unsure economic times' - sounds familiar?

It's pure scaremongering. Switzerland isn't even in the EU and does just fine, and now Switzerland is ending mass immigration and will do fine just like all of those countries that I mentioned which have border controls like any sensible nation should have.

[The Don]

Interesting that it was essentially a 50/50 split

[Chippiewill]

The difference between the two sides was fewer than 30,000 votes, with a turnout of about 56 percent.

*Waits for compulsory re-vote*

Doubt it would change much anyway since they're part of the Schengan area.

[GommeInc]

*Waits for compulsory re-vote*

Doubt it would change much anyway since they're part of the Schengan area.

That's why the EU is a bit concerned, seeing as it would change a lot if they do this as it is part of the Schengen Agreement. There are going to be a lot of Swiss ministers having to explain themselves to the EU over this

Guess we'll have to wait until the actual vote.