The Federal Chancellery has approved the initiative text, clearing the way for the signature-gathering phase to begin as of January 16. Supporters of the initiative will need to gather and validate 100,000 signatures within 18 months for it to come to a national vote.
This is the SPP’s latest attempt to stem immigration to Switzerland from the European Union following a successful 2014 referendum to place quotas on EU immigrants. Party representatives said that measures giving priority to Swiss job seekers did not go far enough.