Economiesuisse President: Switzerland must be able to control immigration
Published: Wednesday, Dec 18th 2024, 06:40
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Switzerland must be able to control immigration itself if it "exceeds the tolerable limits". According to Econonomiesuisse President Christoph Mäder, without such a protective measure, the treaty package with the EU would hardly be capable of gaining a majority.
"Switzerland benefits greatly from the free movement of persons and we want to maintain it," said Mäder in an interview with the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" on Wednesday. The Swiss economy will continue to rely on skilled workers from abroad in the future, if only because of demographic trends. "Immigration, as we have seen in recent years, is too strong, however," he points out.
In his opinion, an important reason for the fears and negative associations is asylum migration. The problems in the implementation of the asylum system would burden the immigration debate. The current economic migration has little to do with either the labor market or the original core of the asylum system. But it is increasing the pressure on resources and shaping the discussion on immigration, he criticizes.
However: "Without regular workers from abroad, Switzerland would hardly be able to operate. I think the population knows that," emphasizes Mäder. In terms of controlling immigration, he was skeptical of an immigration fee, which he saw as bureaucratic and inefficient.
The President of Econonomiesuisse also saw it as the duty of business representatives to take people's concerns and fears seriously. "But this is an effort that the economy cannot make alone. The infrastructure is not designed for so many people, investments are urgently needed here," Mäder continued.
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