The Swiss government decided today to extend the transitional period for the opening of the labor market in accordance with the Agreement on the free movement of persons from these two EU member states.
With this decision, the local workforce still has an advantage, and contingents and control of wages and working conditions remain in force.
The measure of the Swiss government affects the Bulgarian and Romanian workforce, as well as certain economic branches.
Citizens of Romania and Bulgaria benefit from the Agreement on Free Movement since June 1, 2009, because they can work in Switzerland, but the number of work permits is limited.
The quota for issuing work permits in the first year of the transitional period, from June 2009 to June 2010, has been completely exhausted, and this is also the case with the second year, which expires at the end of June.
By extending the transition period until 2014 for these two EU member states, the Swiss Government decided to use its right arising from Protocol II of the Agreement with the EU on the free movement of persons.
That Agreement gives Switzerland the possibility to limit access to the national labor market for a maximum of seven years.
As of May 1, the transition periods for the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia were abolished.
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