No impact on Italians for now says Swiss FM

(ANSA) - Rome, September 26 - The outcome of a Sunday referendum in the Swiss Federation's tiny Ticino canton bordering with Italy in which a majority voted to limit access to cross-border workers will have no immediate impact on the 62,000 employees - most of them Italian - who commute daily to work in Switzerland, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter told his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni over the phone Monday. Gentiloni replied that any discrimination against Italians would hinder ongoing talks between Switzerland and the EU. "Italy is committed to promoting an agreement between Switzerland and the EU, which must be based on common economic interests and on the shared recognition of the principle of free circulation of individuals," the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement.