The proposal

The current agreement with the EU on the free movement of persons is to be extended gradually and in a controlled manner to the ten new EU member states; to this end, Switzerland has negotiated a supplementary protocol with the EU. At the same time, the Federal Council and Parliament are proposing improvements to the accompanying measures so that low wages and abusive working conditions can be combated more effectively.

The European Union is Switzerland's most important economic partner. Access to this market must be secured for Swiss companies. The 1999 Bilateral Agreements I, which were approved by a large majority of the Swiss people, are an important prerequisite for this; they have proven their worth.

When the EU was enlarged last year, these agreements were automatically extended to the ten new EU member states. The only exception is the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. It regulates the conditions under which EU citizens may work and live in Switzerland and Swiss citizens may work and live in the EU.

It has already been agreed with the existing EU countries that the free movement of persons will be introduced gradually and in a controlled manner. For its extension to the ten new EU countries, the Federal Council has negotiated longer transition periods and thus stricter immigration restrictions. To protect against low wages and abusive working conditions, the existing accompanying measures against wage and social dumping will be improved. This will also prevent local businesses from being disadvantaged (level playing field).

Four committees launched a referendum against the proposal. They fear massive immigration and, as a result, more illegal employment, increased unemployment, and competition from low-wage foreign workers.

Results

The proposal was accepted.

Voter turnout: 54.5%
Yes votes: 56.0