Union européenne

The Reform of the EU Blue Card Directive – Good Things Take Time

20.09.2016 , in ((Politique)) , ((Pas de commentaires))

On 7 June 2016, the European Commission has published a proposal to amend the EU Blue Card Directive, the often criticized legal instrument regulating highly skilled immigration by Third Country Nationals into the EU. So far, the Directive has mostly been used by Germany – 12’108 Blue Cards out of a total of 13’852 issued in the EU in 2014 – whereas other Member States have been more reticent. Will the new proposal finally succeed in strengthening the EU’s competitiveness by attracting (and retaining) highly skilled workers? ...

+ En lire plus

The “Dublin IV”-Proposal: One Step Forward and Ten Steps Back …

01.09.2016 , in ((Politique)) , ((Pas de commentaires))

On 4 May 2016, the European Commission has published three proposals to reform the Common European Asylum System. They are the first series of two legislative packages the Commission has presented in 2016 to tackle the current “refugee crisis”. One of the proposals intends to amend the Dublin system, the controversial cornerstone of the Common European Asylum System, also applicable to Switzerland because of the Dublin Association Agreement. Which changes will the proposal entail? ...

+ En lire plus

Le Brexit signifie-t-il la fin du Royaume-Uni ?

09.06.2016 , in ((Politique)) , ((Pas de commentaires))

Le 23 juin prochain, les citoyens britanniques se prononceront sur le maintien du Royaume-Uni au sein de l’Union européenne. Si les Britanniques quittaient l’UE, d’importantes conséquences pourraient survenir dans les nations constitutives du Royaume-Uni – entre craintes d’un embrasement des relations entre les communautés au Nord de l’Irlande et référendum d’indépendance écossais remis à l’agenda politique. ...

+ En lire plus

Debating Free Movement in Switzerland and the UK – Swexit and Brexit

02.06.2016 , in ((Politique)) , ((Pas de commentaires))

With the upcoming referendum on Britain’s stay in the European Union – the so-called Brexit vote – and the deadline for reaching an agreement on the implementation of the “Mass Immigration Initiative” coming closer, Great Britain and Switzerland are facing difficulties in their relations with their most important economic partner, the European Union. A comparison of the two situations reveals similarities and differences. ...

+ En lire plus

The EU-Turkey Deal on Refugees: “No Big Deal”?

28.04.2016 , in ((Politique)) , ((Pas de commentaires))

On 4 April 2016, a group of around 197 migrants and refugees was returned to Turkey as part of the “EU-Turkey deal on refugees”. A second group was returned four days later. The legal basis for these returns is a ‘deal’ between the European Council and its Turkish counterpart – and not the EU-Turkey readmission agreement, though both serve to send irregular migrants back to Turkey. What is the difference between them, and what is the ‘big deal’ actually all about? ...

+ En lire plus