Last Sunday 27th September, a Referendum was held in Switzerland regarding whether or not the country will reject the free movement agreement.
61.7% of Swiss voters decided to retain their free movement of people agreement with the EU, therefore many Swiss citizens have the freedom to live and work in Europe. Even though, Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union it still has a strong relationship with the EU. During 1992-2002 Switzerland had signed bilateral agreements with the EU where they will become interdependent and have ability of free movement of people.
The move to rein in immigration was proposed by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) one of the largest parties in the Swiss parliament. However, this was opposed by the government.
Later on Sunday evening, EU Council chief Charles Michel took to social media to express his satisfaction with the vote, “Today is a great day for the relations between the European Union and Switzerland. We welcome the results of the popular vote and look forward to continuing our close cooperation. The Swiss people have spoken & sent a clear message: together we have a great future ahead of us.”
ESO - European Studies Organisation 