Switzerland rejects ending free movement with EU: exit poll

 

Switzerland rejects ending free movement with EU: exit poll

 

Swiss People’s Party wanted to get rid of agreement on free movement signed with the EU in 1999.

 

By ELISA BRAUN 9/27/20, 5:37 PM CET Updated 9/27/20, 5:41 PM CET

https://www.politico.eu/article/switzerland-rejects-ending-free-movement-with-eu-exit-poll/

 

Swiss voters on Sunday rejected by a large majority a proposal to scrap an accord with the EU on the free movement of people, according to projected results from the television channel SRF.

 

The projection shows 62 percent of voters rejected a proposal by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) to scrap the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (ALCP), signed with the European Union in 1999.

 

Opponents said it would have deprived companies of skilled workers and jeopardized Switzerland's relationship with its main partner, as it could have torpedoed agreements that improve non-EU member Switzerland’s access to the EU single market.

 

The ALCP pact also allows Swiss citizens to move freely within the EU, with more than 450,000 living in the bloc.

 

At the end of June this year, 1,455,231 citizens from the EU, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the U.K. were living in Switzerland, according to the State Secretariat for Migration.

 

European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter the result marked "a great day for the relations between the European Union and Switzerland. We welcome the results of the popular vote and look forward to continuing our close cooperation. The Swiss people have spoken & sent a clear message: together we have a great future ahead of us."