Brussels, 19/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - A number of people at the European institutions have spoken out against the decision taken on Wednesday by the Swiss government to reintroduce quotas for work permits for a year in an effort to restrict the number of nationals entering the country from eight central and eastern European countries which are EU member states (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia). The question will be discussed in June at the next EU-Switzerland Joint Committee, said a Commission spokesperson on Thursday 19 April.
On Wednesday, Catherine Ashton declared that she regretted the decision taken by the Swiss Federal Council. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and the Vice-President of the Commission considers “this measure to be in breach of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons as amended by the Protocol of 2004. The agreement does not allow for any differentiation between EU citizens”. Ashton added that “this measure is neither economically justified by the labour market situation nor by the number of EU citizens seeking residence in Switzerland".
The same line was adopted at the European Parliament and on Wednesday its president, Martin Schulz, said: “I regret the decision of Switzerland to discriminate against eight EU member states. This goes against the spirit and letter of what Switzerland has already signed up to”.
On Thursday morning, several MEPs also spoke out on the question. The rapporteur on the European Economic Area and Switzerland, Rafal Trzaskowski (EPP, Poland) said that the Swiss decision was “unacceptable” and discriminatory. His colleague Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) said that he “expected the Federal Council to withdraw its decision and called on the Commission to take all measures needed in the case of an international agreement concluded by the EU being violated”. On this point, a spokesperson for the Commission declared on Thursday morning that the question would be discussed with the Swiss authorities at the next EU/Switzerland Joint Committee in June.
The quota is for around 2,000 authorised B residences (long-term) and will ecome into force on 1 May 2012. Switzerland indicated that it would apply for 12 months. Since the scrapping of quotas on 1 May 2011, nationals from the eight countries concerned have enjoyed full freedom of movement in Switzerland. The safeguard clause included in the agreement on the free movement of people provides Switzerland with the possibility of unilaterally reintroducing quotas for nationals from the “EU-8” countries until 2014 if the number of residency authorisations or short stay permits granted to workers from EU/EFTA countries rises above at least 10% the annual average for authorisations issued over the previous three years. In the context of “EU-8” nationals, the number of residency B authorisations granted between May 2011 and April 2012 met this condition but not the condition on the authorisation of short stay permits (less than a year). (OL/transl.fl)