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French-Swiss employee data exchange resumes

With the new agreement in place, Geneva airport can once again carry out security checks on French employees. Keystone

France has agreed to once again share data about French citizens or residents who work or wish to work in Switzerland, following a freeze on information exchange that has lasted several months. This has resulted in 200 Geneva airport employees being unable to work.

The Federal Office of Police (FEDPOL) said on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached between French and Swiss authorities specifically concerning the mode of transmission of the information on employees wishing to work in security-sensitive positions in Switzerland.

“The Swiss police can again receive useful and relevant information on the persons concerned as to whether they are adversely known to the French police, that is to say, if they have been implicated in a misdemeanour or criminal offence,” read a statement on FEDPOL’s website.

The 200 French employees at Geneva airport had all been recently hired, but as the airport lacked the necessary security data from the French government, the employees were denied their airport identification and security badges, which prevented them from working. 

In late 2015, a few weeks after the terrorists attacks in Paris, a similar incident occurred at the airport when over 30 employees – mostly Muslim men residing in France – had their airport badges, which provided runway security access, revoked. Nine of those employees appealed the withdrawal of their badges; those legal proceedings are still ongoing.

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