Invalid Initiative to Limit Cross-Border Workers in Geneva
Published: Wednesday, Oct 11th 2023, 15:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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In the Canton of Geneva, an initiative to limit cross-border workers has been declared invalid. The Cantonal Government believes that the majority of the initiative text violates the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU. The initiative, entitled "Jobs with the State: Let's Limit Cross-Border Workers!", was declared completely invalid by the State Council after its weekly meeting. The initiative, launched by the citizen movement Mouvement citoyens genevois (MCG), aimed to reserve positions in the tax administration, the State Chancellery, the General Secretariat of the Grand Council and the Cantonal Police for persons residing in the Canton or for Swiss citizens. Foreigners who do not reside in Switzerland should not be able to occupy either a managerial position or a position in the personnel department of the administration. The initiative also wanted to stipulate that police officers with a Swiss professional certificate must possess Swiss citizenship. According to the State Council, the initiative is unlawful with regard to the latter requirement. The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality between Swiss citizens and nationals of the Member States of the European Union (EU), the Cantonal Government states. There are some exceptions, but these would exclude access to entire sectors of the cantonal administration. Each position must be examined on a case-by-case basis.
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