The European Commission has expressed regrets after Switzerland voted Sunday to restrict EU immigration in a ‘’popular referendum’’ and warned it will review its ties with the non-EU member.
The ‘’Stop mass immigration’’ initiative, introduced by the nationalist Swiss People’s Party, was voted by a narrov 50.3 percent. By their vote, the Swiss decided that immigration quotas would be reintroduced, thereby overturning the free movement policy introduced in the European Union in 2002.
Switzerland, like many European countries, has seen anti-immigrant and ethnocentric sentiments climb in recent years, especially in the wake of the economic crisis.
The result will likely vex multinational companies based in Swizterland, like Roche, Novartis, UBS, and other industry giants which frequently utilize foreign labor.
In a statement, the EU Commission said the introduction of quantitative limits to immigration ‘’goes against the principle of free movement of persons between the EU and Switzerland’’.
It added, ‘’The EU will examine the implications of this initiative on EU-Swiss relations as a whole. In this context, the Federal Council's position on the result will also be taken into account.’’
Switzerland is ringed by EU member countries and most of its trade is with the 28 EU member states but the country has remained steadfast about not becoming a member.
EU foreign ministers, who met in Brussels on Monday, were scheduled to discuss the issue although the topic was not on the agenda.
Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said he planned to tour European capitals to explain the vote and seek a solution, starting with Berlin.
"The people are sovereign, and a healthy system doesn't force the public to follow political authorities with outsized powers," the minister said.
Under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, voters have the last word on a huge range of issues.
According to the Swiss press, Swiss French-speaking areas and larger cities voted against the immigration curbs, while German-speaking and rural areas generally voted for them.
The vote obliges the government to renegotiate within three years a 2007 deal struck with Brussels that gave most EU citizens free access to the Swiss labour market.