The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (FZA) with the European Union was extended to Croatia with an additional protocol. It has been in force since 1 January 2017. It provides for a gradual opening of access to the Swiss labor market for Croatian nationals over a ten-year transitional period.
Since January 1, 2022, Croats have full freedom of movement. However, the safeguard clause provided for by the FZA allows Switzerland to unilaterally reintroduce approval quotas for a limited period of time if immigration from Croatia exceeds a certain threshold. This limit will be reached if the number of permits granted (2022) is more than 10 percent above the average of the three previous years (2019-2021).
Between January and October 2022, Switzerland issued 2413 B permits to Croatian workers, while the threshold for the whole of 2022 is 178. The quantitative conditions for application of the unilateral safeguard clause next year have been met.
In 2023, 1150 new B permits and 1007 new L permits will be available for Croatian workers.
Measure provided in the FZA
The rapid economic recovery after the Corona crisis was accompanied by a sharp increase in the immigration of foreign workers to Switzerland in 2022. The number of permits for Croatian nationals has also increased. In the secondary sector, Croatian workers were mainly in demand in industry and construction, while in the tertiary sector, the main demand was catering, trade and job placement.
The Federal Council uses the tools at its disposal to improve migration management in line with economic needs. In the past, he has repeatedly used the safeguard clause against nationals of other countries that have recently joined the EU. (pt)