Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-02-26-Speech-3-108-000"
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"en.20140226.6.3-108-000"2
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"Mr President, we do not in this House question the result of the vote of the citizens of Switzerland, and nor do we question their right as citizens of a sovereign country to vote on matters of concern to them. But what we are doing this morning is analysing the consequences of their decision. The vote was clear, albeit tight: 50.3% of Swiss citizens voted to limit the movement of people into Switzerland, including citizens of the European Union. Support was strongest in regions to which there is very little movement of citizens, but nonetheless, this was the clear outcome of the referendum.
As has been mentioned, the cornerstone of our relationship with Switzerland dates back to a Free Trade Agreement in the 1970s. There have been other agreements in 1999 and again in 2004 – including the 2002 agreement where we dealt with the free movement of citizens. As I would say, rights come with responsibilities, and very clearly the Swiss people know what they expect from us when we sign these agreements, and we are very clear what we expect from our partners and our friends in Switzerland.
You could interpret the outcome of this vote by the Swiss people as a desire to end their agreements with the European Union. But it is clear that it is not the case, because the people of Switzerland voted on one element and one element only of their long-standing relationship and agreement with us – namely to restrict access to Switzerland for citizens, including citizens of the European Union. But freedom of movement of people is a fundamental part of our agreement with Switzerland and it is a fundamental principle of the European Union.
The Commission has stated, and many Commissioners have stated – including here this morning – that it is impossible to restrict free movement of people while expecting to retain and enjoy the benefits of free movement of goods, services and capital. The Swiss Government has acknowledged that there is now a systemic change in our relationship arising from the referendum outcome. It also acknowledges, as we do, that there is now a period of great uncertainty in Switzerland. I understand that some businesses are looking at relocating their business base out of Switzerland because of this uncertainty.
Our Swiss partners would like to pick and choose who to allow access to in terms of free movement of people, and there is talk of quotas. This is not possible. Quotas are the exact opposite of what we have agreed with our Swiss counterparts. There are three years in which this referendum outcome needs to be put in place, but already the Government has responded to the outcome by declining to sign the protocol with the European Union extending free movement to citizens of Croatia. It is that decision, or that inability to sign, that requires us to say we will cancel talks in relation to Erasmus and scientific research programmes. I believe that the MEPs from Croatia respect and want us to stand up for their rights.
I, for one, do not think that the Swiss people want to break our strong ties, but I do think that over the next three years we have to look clearly at the consequences. Agreements can be renegotiated, but they cannot be fundamentally altered. It is impossible to come to the table with an irrevocable position and expect partners to bend and yield. The people of Switzerland have spoken, but let the EU be clear that we expect full adherence to all our agreements, we defend the principle of free movement of people as a core and defining principle and we await clarity from our Swiss partners."@en1
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