Brussels, 22/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 22 June, the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) committee debated the draft report by Andreas Schwab (EPP, Germany) EEA-Switzerland: Obstacles with regard to the full implementation of the internal market, which deals with progress on the internal market between the members of the European Free Trade Association (AFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA).
While welcoming the “strong, continuously flourishing and longstanding relations between the EU and Switzerland” and the opening of negotiations on a bilateral institutional framework agreement with Bern, the draft report calls on the Swiss Confederation to abide by its obligations, and in particular those stemming from the Free Movement of Persons Agreement (FMPA).
The rapporteur is referring here to the referendum of February 2014 on “against mass immigration” initiated by the Right-wing populist party, the Union démocratique du centre (UDC), which received the support of a narrow majority of Swiss voters (50.3%). This result undermines the freedom of movement agreements between the European Union (EU) and EFTA, despite the measures taken by Switzerland to avoid any discrimination towards Croatian nationals. “These measures fall short of the Protocol extending the FMPA to include Croatia”, Schwab states in his report. He notes that “the free movement of persons is one of the fundamental freedoms and a pillar of the Single Market”.
Furthermore, in 1992, a popular vote contested Switzerland's participation in the EEA agreement. Since then, relations between Switzerland and the EU have been based on more than 100 sectoral agreements that provide for a far-reaching degree of integration, the report notes.
More generally, Schwab notes with concern the current average transposition deficit of the three EFTA states has increased to 1.9 % from 0.5 % in November 2011.
Compromise amendments will be put to the vote on 15 July, with the text going to the Parliamentary committee the next day. The draft resolution is expected to be presented in plenary session in September or, at the latest, October of this year. (Pascal Hansens)