RT.com, 9 Feb 2014
The Swiss cast their ballots Sunday in a vote that will determine whether to limit annual migration from the EU, thus ending the policy of free movement within the bloc that was established in 2002.
The initiative, known as ‘Stop mass immigration,’ was introduced by the nationalist Swiss People's Party (SVP). Its goal is to introduce annual quotas on the number of foreign workers entering the country.
The SVP party has been campaigning for the amendment, saying that immigrants are destroying the nation’s Alpine identity and taking away skilled jobs.
According to the latest data, 23 percent of the country’s eight million inhabitants are foreigners – the second largest proportion in Europe after Luxembourg.
"Many people feel this is challenging their identity, even if there isn't any concrete economic impact on a personal level,” Georg Lutz, professor of political science at the University of Lausanne Georg, told Reuters.
"I don't want to live like a sardine in a tin can," independent politician Thomas Minder, who supports the initiative, told tabloid newspaper Blick. Full story
Related:
Swiss to vote on EU immigration cap on Sunday - The Irish Times
