Swiss Must Redefine Traditional Neutrality and Bolster Ties With NATO, Says Panel

(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland should deepen military cooperation with NATO and the European Union, increase arms spending and rethink its non-aligned status, an independent panel has recommended in what would mark a bold departure from the country’s long-held neutrality.

The recommendations, which will inform work on a new security strategy to be published next year, immediately provoked a backlash from the Swiss People’s Party, the largest in parliament. The SVP said it rejects attempts to undermine defense sovereignty and “destroy Swiss neutrality.” 

The committee, commissioned by the defense ministry and made up of scientific, political and economic experts, submitted 100 recommendations in seven subject areas, which were published by the government on Thursday.

It said that Switzerland, which still has military service and can call upon a large army of reservists, should nevertheless boost military spending to 1% of GDP by 2030, from about 0.8%. The arms industry should also be beefed up by lifting re-export bans in specific cases and bolstering cooperation in NATO and EU security projects, the panel said. 

“Cooperation must be consolidated not only at the military level, but also at the diplomatic level, particularly in the context of international arms control activities and the regulation of new technologies,” it said. 

Switzerland’s strict interpretation of neutrality was upended when the country decided to enforce EU sanctions against Russians in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That spurred a debate across Switzerland between those on the left who are unhappy about how the country became a haven for Russian wealth, and right-wing politicians who argue that undermining neutrality also undermines Swiss global competitiveness. 

The SVP is backing a plan to hold a popular vote to enshrine the position of permanent, armed neutrality in the constitution. The initiative also wants to block participation in non-military coercive measures, which would include sanctions.

According to the expert panel, the strict definition of neutrality must be revised so that it’s more focused on Switzerland’s security and “applied more flexibly.” A majority of the committee also recommended that neutrality should align more closely with the Charter of the United Nations and that “greater account be taken of the distinction between aggressor and victim.”

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