Brussels, 06/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - After two referendums in a row rejecting the European Constitution in France and then the Netherlands, the European Commission will at least have the satisfaction of the Swiss acceptance by 54.6% in a referendum on 5 June, of their country joining the Schengen zone and the Dublin agreements. With Schengen, the borders will be lifted betzeen Switzerland and the European Union, and Switerland will have access to the Schengen Information System database (SIS), which registers stolen vehicles and persons wanted by the police. Dublin is the key to the division of responsibilities for asylum seekers arriving in Europe.
European Commissioners Franco Frattini and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in charge of the Justice and Home Affairs and External Relations dossiers respectively, on Sunday welcomed this "important step in relations between Switzerland and the European Union". However, the dossier is far from complete. The Swiss will vote in a referendum on 25 September on the ratification of the extension of the EU-Swiss agreement on the free movement of persons to the ten new Member States of the EU. Switzerland cannot take part in Schengen unless there is free movement for all, a Community source stressed. The EU must therefore wait for the result of this second referendum before it can ratify Swiss involvement in Schengen. The text is currently before the European Parliament for opinion, then will move to the Council. If Switzerland refuses to extend freedom of movement to the new Member States, this will call the EU-Swiss free movement agreement into question and thus the six other bilateral agreements, the same source confirmed.