By John Revill
ZURICH, Nov 9 (Reuters) – Swiss voters will decide on November 29 whether to block a bill relaxing curbs on weapons exports, in a referendum that raises questions about Switzerland’s evolving neutral tradition and is strongly opposed by the arms industry.
Switzerland follows the 1907 Hague Conventions on neutrality, which prevent it participating in armed conflicts unless directly threatened, or providing military support to any of the parties.
Yet a stance that largely held throughout the Cold War has begun to change since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted Switzerland to deepen its defence ties with European partners and the transatlantic NATO alliance.
Polls suggest the referendum, proposed by a coalition of left-wing parties including Social Democrats, the Greens and others, could go either way.
Some right-wingers have also split from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) to oppose the amendment, which cannot come into force until the referendum is held.
CAN A NEUTRAL COUNTRY SEND WEAPONS TO A NATION AT WAR?
“In future, Swiss war material could in certain cases be passed to belligerent states,” said Fabian Molina, a lawmaker for the leftist Social Democrats. “That would violate neutrality.”
The amendment is intended to allow arms shipments to 36 Western countries, even if they are involved in active armed conflicts, albeit not for use in those conflicts. Ukraine is not included, however.
It also scraps a requirement for countries to sign a non-re-export declaration upon purchase.
Bern had blocked several countries from sending previously purchased Swiss-made ammunition and combat vehicles to Ukraine, and Germany subsequently excluded Swiss firms from procurement deals, while Denmark and the Netherlands halted orders.
The amendment would, however, not apply to weaponry bought on the previous terms, or bought with the intention of immediately sending it to a third party – thus still excluding Ukraine.
Centre Party lawmaker Reto Nause said the law needed to be overhauled to reflect a more dangerous international environment.
“We’re facing a level of threat we haven’t seen since the Second World War,” he said. “Part of being able to defend yourself is having a domestic arms industry, having some production capacity and above all know-how in key technologies.”
The non-re-export declaration would deter NATO countries from buying Swiss armaments because they wanted to be able to share weapons if the alliance was attacked, Nause said.
The affected manufacturers include Germany’s Rheinmetall, which builds anti-drone defence systems in Switzerland, French defence group Thales, small-arms maker SIG Sauer, and more than 100 other companies.
SWITZERLAND AMONG TOP 20 ARMS EXPORTERS
Switzerland was the world’s 17th-largest arms exporter over the past 10 years, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The sector employs 14,000 people and last year, its exports were worth around $1.15 billion.
Manufacturers fear for the future if the law is not amended, arguing that the domestic market is too small, and their supporters say there are another 154,000 jobs in companies making “dual use” products – for military or civilian purposes.
“This is decisive, it’s really ‘go’ or ‘no go’ for the future of the Swiss arms industry,” said Matthias Zoller, general secretary of the Swiss Aeronautics, Security and Defence Association, which represents the industry.
He said it was crucial for Switzerland to have its own armaments industry but, if exports were excessively restricted, manufacturers could simply move abroad.
And if Switzerland could no longer sell arms abroad, it could expect to go to the back of the line for buying new systems or even components from other countries, he said.
Green Party lawmaker Gerhard Andrey said ceding control of where Swiss arms go was “not a neutral choice”, and noted that exports were just below record level last year, despite the restrictions.
Mirjam Hostetmann, leader of the youth wing of the Social Democrats, said relaxing the law could lead to Swiss weapons increasingly being used in civil wars or by rogue governments.
“It’s an illusion to believe that more weapons will guarantee more peace,” she said. “Nobody benefits from these changes apart from the arms industry.”
(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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