Switzerland gives green light to Schengen agreement cancellation
(VOVWORLD) -The conservative right Swiss People’s Party (SPP) has received permission to begin collecting signatures for its initiative to cancel Switzerland’s free movement of people agreement or the Schengen agreement with the European Union.
The Federal Chancellery has approved the initiative text, clearing the way for the signature-gathering phase to begin as of January 16. Supporters of the initiative will need to gather and validate 100,000 signatures within 18 months for it to come to a national vote.
This is the SPP’s latest attempt to stem immigration to Switzerland from the European Union following a successful 2014 referendum to place quotas on EU immigrants. Party representatives said that measures giving priority to Swiss job seekers did not go far enough.