In a groundbreaking report released on Thursday, a group of experts have advised the Swiss government to reconsider its longstanding policy of neutrality dating back to 1515. The suggestion is to modify the neutrality policy and establish a “collective defense capability” with the European Union and NATO, along with increasing military spending.
The report, completed by the Committee for Security Policy Research established by the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, contains over 100 recommendations in seven different areas, addressing how Switzerland should determine its future security policies. These recommendations will serve as a reference for Switzerland’s 2025 security strategy.
Politico, a political news website, has labeled this report as providing “explosive” recommendations to the Swiss Federal Department of Defence.
According to the report, “Neutrality has once again become a topic of debate in domestic and international politics following Russia’s attack on Ukraine, and the pressure on Switzerland to clarify its position is increasing.” The report urges Switzerland to “modify” its neutrality policy, though it does not suggest completely abandoning its neutral stance.
One driving factor urging the modification of the neutral policy is its impact on Switzerland’s arms sales. Another is how Switzerland can better defend itself.
Under the neutrality policy, Switzerland prohibits the sale of weapons to countries at war and restricts other nations from re-exporting Swiss weapons. Against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this has affected countries seeking to send weapons containing Swiss parts to Ukraine.
Switzerland’s neutrality policy has prevented several European countries from shipping weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. After months of pressure, Switzerland agreed to transport surplus Leopard tanks to Germany as substitutes for German tanks bound for Ukraine. Switzerland refused to transport Swiss-made ammunition from German stockpiles to Ukraine.
Weapon exports from Switzerland in 2023 decreased by 27% compared to 2022. The latest report urges the “lifting of the ban on re-exports.”
It is expected that the report will face challenges from some members of the Swiss parliament. While the experts did not recommend Switzerland completely abandoning its neutral stance and joining NATO, they did suggest deepening connections with NATO and the EU in joint training, ballistic missile defense, and bilateral and multilateral exercises.
Quoting Jean-Marc Rickli, Head of Global and Emerging Risks at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Politico states that “the report makes it clear that Switzerland is a Western country and therefore supports Western values.”
However, he adds that “calls to strengthen military cooperation with NATO and the EU are likely to generate considerable debate within Switzerland.”
The report also calls for military expenditure to reach 1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. Currently, Switzerland’s defense spending accounts for 0.76% of GDP, significantly lower than any NATO member country except Iceland, which does not have a standing army.
Switzerland’s potential policy changes would be another indication of how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is altering the security landscape in Europe. This invasion has already led Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutral status, with each country joining NATO last year and this year, respectively.