Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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464. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question Number 873 of 3 November 2015, his position on the issue of the free movement of persons between the European Union and Switzerland; if he will support Visa-free travel and work between the European Union and Switzerland; his position on banking secrecy agreements between the European Union and Switzerland. [39363/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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In a referendum held on 9 February 2014, Swiss citizens voted by a very narrow margin to accept a proposal to introduce quotas and restrictions on migrants, the vast majority of whom are EU nationals. The limits will apply to all work and residency permits issued to foreign nationals, including cross-border commuters and asylum seekers. The referendum text did not specify at what levels the quotas on migrants should be set.

The referendum outcome is a worrying development, with far-reaching implications for EU-Switzerland relations, not least because any new Swiss legislation introducing quotas on immigration by EU citizens would be incompatible with the existing EU-Switzerland Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons which has been in place since 2002. The free movement of people is a cornerstone of the construction of the European Union. It is integral to many of the 100 plus bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland and is a key basis on which Switzerland is able to access the EU single market.

On 11 February 2015, the Swiss Federal Council (Cabinet) published draft legislation aimed at implementing the mandate it had been given to restrict immigration, including immigration by EU nationals. Since then, there has been a General Election in Switzerland. The populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) - which wants strict controls on immigration - won 29.4% of the vote and is now the largest party in Switzerland. The Swiss parliament will vote next month on the composition of the Federal Council. Present indications are that the SVP will take two of the seven seats, up from one at present. It remains to be seen what approach the new Swiss Government will take in response to the mandate given in the referendum. Our understanding is that the government has until 2017 implement the mandate.

The EU’s position remains that it refuses to entertain any negotiation on the principle of the Free Movement of Persons, a position Ireland fully supports.

Ireland welcomed the signature of the tax transparency agreement between Switzerland and the EU in May 2015 under which EU Member States and Switzerland agreed to exchange information on the financial accounts of each other’s residents from 2018.