[via BusinessWeek]

Wow, great move Switzerland! That’s cool :-)

Switzerland took a step closer to the rest of the continent Sunday when a majority of voters approved a government-sponsored initiative to allow citizens of 10 new European Union member states to work here.

About 56 percent of voters supported the government-sponsored proposal in a referendum, extending cooperation between this traditionally neutral country and the European Union, according to final results.

Allowing citizens of eight Eastern European countries and two Mediterranean island countries — Cyprus and Malta — to travel and work freely in Switzerland has proved to be a touchy issue. But the result is a second boost within four months for advocates of closer relations with the EU, after Swiss voters approved joining the bloc’s “Schengen” passport-free area in June.