On April 23, the Federal Council decided to apply, from May 1, the clause to safeguard free movement agreements with the EU for 5-year residence permits. The measure, already in force since May 1, 2012 for eastern European Member States, will now apply to all countries in the Schengen area. However, 1-year residence permits won’t be affected. In doing so, the Swiss government is trying not to penalize several major sectors where seasonal workers are regularly called upon. In practice, it will only mean that 2,500-3,000 permits won’t be delivered. The measure is mostly a political symbol, aiming to reassure citizens who are worried about the impact of free movement. (Ref. 130281)
Limit to long-term permits but not on short-term permits. The free movement safeguard clause signed between Switzerland and the EU allows the Confederation to impose restrictions on residence permits until May 31, 2014. In May 2012, it used it for the “EU 8,” i.e. the “new” EU Member States (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. To this day, Bulgaria and Romania are still under an exceptional regime). Currently, as net migration is positive,
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