French Senator calls for end of customs checks with Geneva

Bardonnex (c) Marc Mongenet

A French senator’s call to remove all the customs posts between France and Switzerland to aid traffic flow is being rejected on all sides, and Geneva politicians says he’s missing the point.

The Haute-Savoie representative, Loïc Hervé, describes the customs posts as ‘chicanes’ and points to the daily congestion at Bardonnex. 

He says there are no stops between France and Belgium – and asks why can’t it be done here?

Although Switzerland is in the EU’s Single Market and is part of the Schengen Zone, it’s not in the Customs Union – which means there are still checks on goods.

The Geneva Green Party parliamentarian, Nicolas Walder, says the Senator would be better off asking Paris why it doesn’t invest more in cross border public transport? 

The Geneva minister, Mauro Poggia, says more can be done with Park and Ride schemes and calls on the French to match Geneva’s offered financial support. 

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