Swiss back limits on immigration from EU
A Swiss voter casts his vote at a makeshift polling station as Swiss voters went to the polls to decide on a proposal to cap immigration to the Alpine republic, in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 9, 2014.Voters in Switzerland have narrowly passed a measure to curb immigration by European Union citizens.
Swiss television reports 50.3 percent of voters backed the "Stop Mass Immigration" initiative proposed by the right wing Swiss People\’s Party (SVP), which said the country could not cope with 80,000 new immigrants each year
The decision means the Swiss government will have to renegotiate treaties that allow for the free movement of people to and from the European Union. Swiss citizens have also been able to freely travel and work in EU countries.
Under the new proposal, Switzerland will have to draft legislation setting quotas for European immigrants, as well decide whether they can bring their families with them.
The SVP referendum campaign cited negative effects on housing prices, jobs, public transportation and infrastructure.
Opponents to the referendum argued a measure that curbs to immigration would damage the economy and exacerbate the shortage of highly skilled foreign workers in the country.
Source: VOA and agencies
The Times of Earth ( TOE) founded in 1999, is a multilingual newspaper that is printed and circulated in many countries including some parts of the United States and Canada. It is considered as the largest trusted & respected international multimedia news/financial information source of the world.