A decent article on the Swiss immigration vote
Europe elections: Swiss lessons for Brussels

It is often said that the Swiss are different. They enjoy most of the benefits of the European Union but are not in it. They believe in direct democracy, in consulting the people, in a way that most other European nations would shy away from.

And now the Swiss voters have defied Brussels and their own government. They were warned that the free movement of workers was integral to participating in the EU’s single market. Any restrictions would damage relations with the EU. The business community argued that limiting migrants would undermine the economy
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For Brussels there are no easy options. Free movement of people is one of its core principles. It sees it as integral to the single market. It has reminded the UK of this and if it embraces a compromise with the Swiss, other countries might chose to follow.