Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Is free movement under threat?

The rightwing Swiss People’s Party wants to reintroduce quotas limiting the number of immigrants. This would call into question the agreement on the free movement of people which also lets Swiss live and travel freely in the European Union. What is your view?

The free movement of people is one of the four basic freedoms on which the European Union is built (the others are free movement of goods, the free movement of services and the free movement of capital).

The free movement of people is the right of a person to travel into Switzerland or an EU country and to be allowed to find a job, work and live there. There are certain regulations and limitations.

With the signing of the first set of bilateral treaties with the EU in 1999, Switzerland accepted this principle, which foresees a progressive opening of its labour market.

In May 2000, 67.2 per cent of the Swiss electorate approved the treaty, and in September 2005, 56% voted in favour of extending it to the ten new members of the EU.

More

More

Rightwing puts immigration on election agenda

This content was published on The launch of the party’s initiative, which comes less than three months ahead of October’s parliamentary elections, has prompted unanimous opposition from other political parties and the business community. Proponents have 18 months to collect the necessary signatures to force a nationwide vote on the issue. It is the latest in a series of initiatives…

Read more: Rightwing puts immigration on election agenda
More

More

Role of foreigners in housing shortage examined

This content was published on Two recently released studies, one by the liberal think tank Avenir Suisse and the other by the Federal Housing Office, have examined the basis for this perception. In the past,  foreigners have often been accused of  “stealing” jobs from Swiss citizens and for bringing salaries down. But over the past few months the focus “has…

Read more: Role of foreigners in housing shortage examined
More

More

Immigration debate focuses on job market

This content was published on While some politicians are calling for it to be thrown out so the country can regain its freedom of manoeuvre, unions are demanding better wage protection and warning there will not be enough staff in some sectors in the years to come. Since the free movement accord became effective in 2002, the equivalent of more…

Read more: Immigration debate focuses on job market
More

More

Expats take strong stand over EU labour deal

This content was published on At a meeting on Friday, the OSA’s governing body also appealed for people to vote for candidates in the October parliamentary elections who support the interests of the Swiss expatriate community. “The free movement of people accord is not a one-way road. Swiss expatriates living in the EU also benefit from the agreement,” said the…

Read more: Expats take strong stand over EU labour deal

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR