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ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters on Sunday narrowly backed proposals to reintroduce immigration quotas with the European Union, Swiss television reported - a result that calls into question bilateral accords with the EU and could irk multinational companies.

While neutral Switzerland is not a member of the EU, its immigration policy is based on free movement of citizens to and from the EU, with some exceptions, as well as allowing in a restricted number of non-EU citizens.

That pact on free movement of people, which came into force 12 years ago, was signed as part of a package of agreements with the EU, some of which could now be in danger of unraveling, to say nothing of the effect on a globally oriented economy that employs large numbers of foreign professionals.

"This is a turning point, a change of system with far- reaching consequences for Switzerland," Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga told journalists in Berne.

Короткий перевод.
В воскресенье 9 февраля 2014 швейцарцы проголосовали против (50.3%) т.н. "массовой иммиграции", т.е. свободного перемещения граждан ЕС в Швейцарию. Швейцария не член ЕС и это соглашение было подписано 12 лет назад позволяя гражданам (и в некоторых случаях негражданам) ЕС работать и жить в Швейцарии. Теперь швейцарцы хотят от правительства введения квот/ограничений на иммиграцию.
Особенно сильно это ударит по глобально-ориентированным компаниям, которые нанимали огромное число иностранных профессионалов.