Switzerland agreed to limit the level of immigrants allowed from the European Union beginning this May, adding to caps that are already in place for eight other central and eastern states.
The limits will remain in effect for a year, the BBC reported. And EU officials aren’t happy.
Catherine Ashton, EU foreign police head, said the limits ignore “the great benefits that the free movement of persons brings to the citizens of both Switzerland and the EU,” the BBC reported.
Most immigrants to Switzerland come from Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The Swiss government’s limits expands caps on eight nations to the full 17-nation bloc of the Eurozone.
They’re aimed at controlling the influx of workers from poorer countries.
Switzerland — which is not an EU member — nonetheless signed an agreement in 1999 to allow EU residents the right to travel freely in the nation. But that agreement came with a “safeguard clause” for the Swiss government to opt out of the agreement if the country became overrun with too many workers, BBC reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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