The
European Union has said it is postponing negotiations with Switzerland about a
multibillion-euro research deal and student exchange program. The decision came
after Bern scrapped a labor market pact with Croatia.
Brussels
announced on Sunday that talks about Swiss participation in a new research and
student-exchange program would have to be put on hold, after Bern said it could
not sanction an immigration deal with Croatia.
The Swiss
Justice Ministry announced on Saturday that it would be unable to sign a labor
market pact with Croatia, as previously planned, on July 1. That decision -
which has been strongly criticized by the European Commission - followed a
referendum by Swiss voters in favour of immigration curbs on EU members.
"The
free movement of persons between the EU and Switzerland is a key principle that
we will not put into question," said Joe Hennon, a spokesman for the
European Commission. The commission said it was postponing talks on the EU's
80-billion-euro ($109 billion) Horizon 2020 research program, as well as its
14.7-billion euro Erasmus Plus educational exchange program.
"The
protocol (with Croatia) has not been signed yet," said Hennon. "Given
the circumstances and in the absence of a clear political signal to do so,
upcoming negotiation rounds have been postponed until Switzerland signs the
protocol," he said.
Warning of
'serious consequences'
The Swiss
referendum text - limiting the number of workers from its 28 member states -
means that Bern has a full three years to renegotiate its labor market deal
with the EU as a whole. However Switzerland can no longer conclude
international treaties that increase the number of EU immigrants -- such as
that with the bloc's newest member state Croatia.
Brussels'
decision to put the research and study agreement on ice is among the first of a
series of possible retaliatory moves. The EU has already postponed talks on a cross-border
electricity deal with Switzerland.
Following
the referendum last Sunday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
warned that the restoration of quotas for EU migrants was in breach of an
accord on free movement of workers that already existed. He warned the move
would have "serious consequences" for relations between Switzerland
and the bloc.
The Swiss
government has said it will present a law on how to deal with the entire EU
labor market by the end of the year. The head of the rightwing populist Swiss
People's Party, Toni Brunner, on Sunday called for measures to be put in place
more quickly, citing "a new wave of massive immigration" as the EU
extends freedom of movement to its eastern members.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.