MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Switzerland should hold a referendum to define its relations with the European Union following last year's vote against mass EU migration to the country, the Swiss finance minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said.
On Wednesday, during a visit to Singapore Widmer-Schlumpf called for a referendum, the EUobserver newspaper reported.
At a referendum held in February 2014, Swiss voters backed introducing quotas on EU migration. The vote jeopardized aspects of the 1999 EU-Switzerland treaty, which gives Switzerland favorable access to EU markets in exchange for eased entry of the EU workforce to the country.
31 January 2015, 14:56 GMT
According to local media, the Swiss government was against the reintroduction of immigration restrictions, and would present its own plan on anti-immigration measures by 2017.
In February, the initiative "against mass migration," spearheaded by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, received 50.34 percent of the vote. The European Commission stated that it was "disappointed" with the results.
