Strict enforcement of initiative rejected

Parliament sought to avoid a potentially damaging confrontation with Brussels by signaling its support for a watered-down version of immigration restrictions on European Union citizens. The House of Representatives on Wednesday signaled its support for a “light” version of the people’s initiative approved in 2014 calling for the re-introduction of annual immigration quotas. This version is aimed at keeping the peace with the EU by preserving economic treaties but alleviating some of the foreign pressure on the Swiss job market. Under the compromise House plan, preference for Swiss residents would be granted under certain conditions. After several hours of heated debate, the House voted overwhelmingly, by a 2-to-1 margin, to refuse to refer the controversial initiative to a parliamentary committee- The referral would have meant that implementation must be consistent with the text Swiss voters approved two years ago. The debate was scheduled to last seven hours.