December 5, 2015 Rev. 07:53 CET

http://balkans.aljazeera.net/vijesti/svicarska-razmatra-povlacenje-iz-sporazuma-sa-eu

Switzerland threatened the EU that could introduce unilateral measures in immigration policy.

Switzerland, a country where foreigners make up a quarter of the population, has threatened that it could introduce unilateral measures in immigration policy if the European Union agreed to limits that are binding referendum results in 2014.

After months of tough negotiations, Bern and Brussels have not agreed to apply the measures voted in a referendum in 2014 in which the Swiss voters voted for the introduction of immigration quotas.

Brussels is difficult to offer a preferential agreement Switzerland, the non-EU until you accept a similar request of Great Britain, a member of the Union and wants to limit immigration from other EU countries.

"If you do not find a solution, we will be ready to suspend part or all of the bilateral agreements," said Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter.

Switzerland is the European Union, which is its largest trading partner, signed a series of bilateral agreements.

At a press conference Burkhalter said that the government requested that the Ministry of Justice making unilateral measures to restrict immigration to March 2016, if by then fails to agree with the EU.

The deadline for the introduction of quotas

Switzerland has more than a year to introduce immigration quotas on the outcome of the referendum shall be binding in February 2014.

Approximately 1.3 million EU citizens are already living in the Swiss Confederation, and 300,000 of them cross the border daily, because working in Switzerland.

In 2014, almost 111,000 residents from the EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein immigrated to Switzerland.

If Switzerland decides to implement unilateral measures, the EU could cancel the bilateral agreements, which would have serious consequences for the Swiss economy, economists warn.

Source: Agencies

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