Business groups urge Swiss to reject migration quotas in referendum

Plans to curb immigration and re-introduce quotas top the issues to be voted on in a referendum in Switzerland on the 9 February 2014.

Swiss business groups rallied together on 6 January 2014 to reject a proposal to re-impose quotas on immigrants from European Union countries, warning the measure would exacerbate a shortage of skilled workers and damage firms' competitiveness.

Two more public votes on immigration would take place in Switzerland before the next federal parliamentary elections in 2015. One would be on the question of whether to extend the free movement of persons to Croatia, which joined the European Union on 1 July 2013. The Swiss Parliament would
debate the issue in 2015, and the People’s Party had already announced it would launch a referendum.

The other vote would be on an initiative of the environmentalist group Ecopop that aimed to protect the environment and natural resources by limiting immigration to 0.2% of annual population growth.

ESO: Background Information: Switzerland re-imposes curbs on EU workers http://www.europeansources.info/record/switzerland-re-imposes-curbs-on-eu-workers/

Blog: EU Referendum, 08.01.14: Immigration: the "great" debate http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=84609

Swissinfo.ch, 03.01.14: In Switzerland immigration doesn’t only create winners http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/In_Switzerland_immigration_doesn_t_only_create_winners.html?cid=37635550

Swissinfo.ch: Tag: February 9 2014 vote http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Immigration_quotas_face_ballot_box_test.html?cid=37613610

Wikipedia: Immigration to Switzerland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Switzerland

Switzerland: Federal department of Justice and Police: Federal Office for Migration https://www.bfm.admin.ch//bfm/en/home.html

LSE: EuroppBlog, 04.02.14: The return of immigration quotas could severely challenge Switzerland’s relationship with the European Union http://bit.ly/1kKsCqu

WOZ - Die Wochenzeitung, 06.02.14: Dramatic referendum in Switzerland (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE137930-Dramatic-referendum-in-Switzerland

EUObserver, 07.02.14: Swiss referendum may jeopardise EU single market accord http://euobserver.com/political/123041

Die Presse, 07.02.14: No to immigration would be costly for Swiss (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE137952-No-to-immigration-would-be-costly-for-Swiss

Blog: Open Europe, 07.02.14: Switzerland's free movement referendum could provide key test of what life outside the EU is like http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/switzerlands-free-movement-referendum.html

France 24 International, 09.02.14: Switzerland votes on plan to cap immigration http://www.france24.com/en/20140209-switzerland-votes-referendum-plan-cap-immigration-eu/

Deutsche Welle, 09.02.14: Swiss vote in referendum on capping annual EU immigration http://dw.de/p/1B5k6

Deutsche Welle, 08.02.14: Swiss feel country is 'bursting at the seams' http://dw.de/p/1B5Zu

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