| Series Title | EurActiv |
|---|---|
| Series Details | 12.02.14 |
| Publication Date | 12/02/2014 |
| Content Type | News |
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The Swiss government said on the 12 February 2014 that it would draw up a draft law to limit immigration by the end of 2014, after Swiss voters narrowly backed proposals to curtail the number of migrants from the European Union in a referendum held on the 9 February 2014. Swiss President Didier Burkhalter appealed for national unity and calm following the historic decision by voters to curb immigration. He outlined the next steps for talks with the European Union to assess the impact on bilateral relations with Brussels. The European Union announced on the 16 February 2014 it had postponed negotiations with Switzerland on its participation in multibillion-dollar research and educational schemes, after Berne said it could not sign in its present form an agreement to extend the free movement of people to Croatia. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on the 18 February 2014 against rushing to retaliate against Switzerland for its vote to curb immigration, saying Europe's own interests were best served by waiting to see how the Swiss implement the referendum result. The Swiss economy minister, Johann Schneider-Ammann, said on the 2 March 2014 that he government would try to reconcile the result of the referendum with the ongoing bilateral agreements. During a state visit in April 2014, German President Joachim Gauck stated that the EU and Switzerland were standing before "big diplomatic challenges", after the migration referendum caused irritation in Germany. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://www.euractiv.com/global-europe/switzerland-table-immigration-qu-news-533468 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Switzerland |
