Why Switzerland changed its arms export rules and is reassessing its neutrality
The Swiss parliament has allowed the export and re-export of Swiss-made weapons to 25 countries, most of them in Europe, even if those countries are involved in an armed conflict.
Read more about the decision and why Switzerland is changing course in the Swissinfo article: Neutrality is no longer an obstacle: why Switzerland has simplified arms exports.
Parliament has decided to automatically grant arms exports and re-exports for 25 countries, the majority in Europe, even if they are involved in a conflict.
The requirement to sign a "Declaration on the Prohibition of Re-Export" has also been scrapped. At the same time, the Swiss government retains the right to veto specific export deals, especially if this is deemed necessary to protect the "national interests of the Confederation."
Of the 25 countries, 19 are located in Europe (Ukraine is not included in the list). The list also includes Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.
The decision follows concerns that Swiss defence orders were taking a hit from European nations wary of restrictions on any arms that they buy. It also comes as Switzerland reassesses what it means to be a neutral state amid emerging security threats on the continent.
Swiss arms exporters have reason to be nervous.
Europe is the biggest market for Swiss weapons, accountingExternal link for more than 80% of sales abroad.
Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister said as much, tellingExternal link industry leaders in Brussels last December that the war in Ukraine was "a turning point [that] has destroyed the illusion of lasting peace in Europe". There was now "a real risk of more war" on the continent, he said, so Switzerland would "prioritise defence procurement in Europe and engage more strongly in European armaments cooperation".
In Switzerland, the issue of arms exports runs parallel to neutrality, although the two questions are legally separate.
As parliamentarians debated easing restrictions, none could agree on what this would mean for the country’s neutrality. Some believed it would have a strengthening effect, with a thriving weapons industry helping to maintain Switzerland’s armed neutrality and its ability for self-defence.
Others argued the changes would weaken or even be a breach of neutrality, a fear Economics Minister Guy Parmelin tried to appease by pointing out the new rules were limited to a handful of countries. The government, he added, would continue as now to evaluate each purchase request individually.
According to a survey, though, over half of the Swiss population support arms deliveries to a country defending itself against an attack – a move they do not see as contradicting Swiss neutrality.