Sits in the EU Parliament since 2019: Christophe Grudler.Image: imago
interview
Christophe Grudler comes from Belfort in France and sits in the EU Parliament for the liberal Modem Party. What does he think about the free movement of people?
May 25, 2026, 9:51 p.mMay 25, 2026, 9:51 p.m
Remo Hess, Brussels / ch media
In her region, cross-border commuters live in campers because there are too few apartments. Does the free movement of people also cause problems on the French side?
Christophe Grudler: An intensive exchange always has positive and negative effects, that’s normal. In addition to the benefits for the economy and employment, there are always negative effects, including pressure on the housing market, which we also know on the French side. But the balance remains positive. Switzerland benefits from its qualified workforce. And the cross-border commuters bring home good wages.
Yes, I hear complaints from small and medium-sized companies. Many of them are against the free movement of people with Switzerland because they feel that the Swiss are stealing their workforce. They invest a lot in training, and after a year or two these people go to Switzerland. But abolishing the free movement of people for this reason makes no sense. There are solutions to these types of problems.
For example?
In the health sector, Switzerland could become more involved in training in France. If she were to build and fund a school for nursing staff, I think that would be an excellent idea. I would also suggest an industrial rapprochement between Switzerland and France. If a product is “Swiss made”, this means that 60 percent of the components must come from Switzerland. The remaining 40 percent could be procured more in the border regions. This would certainly also promote acceptance of the free movement of people.
If the 10 million initiative is adopted, the free movement of people could soon cease.
Let’s wait for the result. And even if the vote were yes, from a purely legal point of view nothing would happen for the time being, because nothing would be triggered immediately. Given the aging of society, it is also not certain whether Switzerland will one day reach 10 million inhabitants. But one thing is clear: a yes vote on June 14th would send a very bad signal. Essentially it would mean: We no longer want to work with you Europeans.
How would the EU react to a termination of the free movement of people?
The free movement of people is of course a fundamental value of the EU. As things stand today, the guillotine clause would apply and Bilaterals I would automatically disappear. Unless the voting result is corrected again at a later date.
How could this happen?
Well, if Switzerland accepts Bilateral III in 2028, that could overturn the decision on the 10 million initiative. At least that’s my reading.
That would be pretty unusual.
Might be. But if we had two referendums that basically said the opposite of each other, a choice would have to be made. It would then be up to Swiss politicians to decide how to interpret the result.