SWITZERLAND’ S REFERENDUM ON CAPPING EU IMMIGRATION: CONSEQUENCES ON RELATIONS BETWEEN SWITZERLAND AND EU

Abstract

The paper deals with Switzerland’s referendum on capping EU immigration and its implications for relations between Switzerland and EU. Since Switzerland is not an EU Member State, relations between this country and EU are regulated on the basis of bilateral agreements. Those agreements are presented in the first part of the article. The second part is devoted to the initiative „against mass immigration“ followed by referendum held in February 2014. By introducing yearly quotas for immigrants to Switzerland, the initiative „against mass immigration“ is in conflict with the bilateral Agreement on free movement of persons. This agreement is one of seven bilateral agreements signed by Switzerland in 1999. The agreements constitute a single agreement in that they are tied to one another through the so-called „Guillotine Clause“. This means, that through the rescission of one of the bilateral agreements, the other six agreements in the package cease to be in force. The third part of the article is dedicated to consequences of the adoption of initiative on the relations between Switzerland and EU and implications on the European integration process in general.