Armed with some 130,000 certified signatures, Swiss activists submitted a petition in Bern on Thursday that would pave the way for a national vote in the coming months on proposed constitutional amendments to enshrine Switzerland’s long-standing policy of neutrality in international affairs.
Switzerland is heading for a popular vote on its long-standing neutrality amid a debate ignited by the country’s decision to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Armed with some 130,000 certified signatures, Swiss activists submitted a petition in Bern on Thursday that would pave the way for a national vote in the coming months on proposed constitutional amendments to enshrine Switzerland’s long-standing policy of neutrality in international affairs.
Activists and the country’s right-wing People’s Party, the largest in parliament, want to enshrine the position of permanent, armed neutrality in the constitution.
The initiative, introduced by advocacy group Pro Switzerland calls for Switzerland to avoid entering any military alliance unless it is attacked as well as to not impose “any non-military coercive measures” unless obligated by the United Nations.
The amendment would also enshrine that “Switzerland uses its perpetual neutrality to prevent and resolve conflicts and is available as a mediator.”
The conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP) backs the initiative, saying in a press release on Thursday: “The gradual dissolution of neutrality is a threat to Switzerland’s internal and external security.”
Switzerland has traditionally refused to take sides in European conflicts but decided to adopt European Union sanctions against Russia in 2022.
According to critics, that was a departure from neutrality and jeopardized the country’s role as an international mediator.
On the other hand, corporate leaders have been increasingly warning that neutrality is harming the country’s business prospects. Switzerland has been blocking weapon shipments from Germany and elsewhere to Ukraine, drawing international ire.
The People’s Party said this week that there have been “targeted attempts to undermine neutrality,” citing the country’s adoption of EU sanctions against Russia. It said this has undermined the international view of Switzerland as neutral.
The government says sanctions are compatible with neutrality and is trying to revive Switzerland’s relevance by hosting a conference on peace in Ukraine in June. Russia has already said it won’t attend the meeting.
While the backers of the initiative have collected enough signatures, a vote is still some time off. Once the tally is legally certified, the government and parliament will discuss the issue, and the full process usually takes a number of years.
Swiss neutrality, which can be traced back to medieval cantons hiring out mercenaries to warring European states, was enshrined in the Treaty of Paris in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon. Switzerland follows the legal obligations imposed on neutral states by the 1907 Hague Conventions.