The Switzerland government said on Wednesday that it plans a clause in an agreement with the European Union to have the right to restrict the free circulation of people from the bloc if some factors exceed certain limits.
In December, the country signed an agreement to deepen economic cooperation with the European Union, despite the opposition of the nationalists who see the bloc as a threat to sovereignty.
The deal still faces a long ratification process, and immigration is undoubtedly the most delicate question that hangs over it.
At the center of the government’s debate and hope of ensuring the support necessary to approve the agreement is the so -called “protection clause”, which could allow Switzerland under certain circumstances.
Beat Jans, an office minister who supervises migration, said at a press conference that the government wants the clause to be established in the Swiss law so that it could be triggered if the EU “net immigration”, the number of “transmitting workers”, unemployment or social assistance reached certain levels.
“The protection clause is like the fire extinguisher on the wall. When there is a fire, you are happy to have it by hand to quickly put out the fire before it causes damage,” he said.
If Switzerland triggers the clause, the question will be subjected to a joint Swiss-UE committee. If there is no agreement on how to proceed, Switzerland may call an arbitration court.
The country is richer than its largest business partners and neighbors from the European Union and recorded one in this century, which led right -wing parties to seek strict restrictions on immigration.
Speaking alongside Jans, Vincenzo Mascioli, migration secretary, stressed that, according to the government’s planned model, Switzerland would have considered the possibility of invoking the protection clause eight times since 2002.
