ZURICH--A leading Swiss politician said citizens could be asked to vote again on limits to immigration, in a bid to break a negotiating deadlock with the European Union and protect access to EU markets.
Fifteen months after a razor-thin 'Yes' vote in a referendum initiated by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) to impose quotas on the number of foreign workers allowed into the country, Swiss diplomats are struggling to negotiate a deal with the European Union, which rejects the limits.
The February 2014 vote violates the principle of free movement agreement within Europe, part of a package of seven deals that stand or fall together, governing issues including economic and technological cooperation, agricultural trade, aviation and road and rail traffic.
On Sunday, the head of Switzerland's business-friendly Swiss Liberal Democrats (FDP), raised the possibility of a new vote, giving citizens the choice between a literal implementation of the previous vote, at the risk of sacrificing the package of treaties, and a new arrangement that would maintain the agreements with the EU.
REUTERS
