Switzerland at a Crossroads: The Battle for Eternal Neutrality
In September, a referendum will be held in the country that has sought to remain neutral since 1815. The initiative, which seeks to limit the possibility of imposing sanctions on warring states and reduce cooperation with military alliances, is opposed by most major parties. Another poll indicates a smaller gap between opponents and supporters.
The initiative to enshrine a strict definition of the country's traditional neutrality in the Swiss constitution is facing broad opposition, according to a poll published on Wednesday, which shows that 62% intend to vote against the initiative in the referendum to be held on September 27. Switzerland has been defined as a neutral state since 1815, when the powers recognized its status at the Congress of Vienna.
The main change the initiative seeks to bring about concerns sanctions. If approved, Switzerland would no longer be able to impose economic sanctions on warring states and could only adopt measures approved by the UN Security Council. Since Russia has veto power in the Council, this means that sanctions against Moscow would be practically impossible.
In addition, the initiative prohibits Switzerland from cooperating with military and defensive alliances, unless it is attacked or faces an imminent attack. In doing so, it calls into question its existing cooperation with NATO and the European Union. Furthermore, the wording deprives the government and parliament of discretion in interpreting neutrality.
The initiative was launched by the organization "Pro Switzerland," which is identified with the Swiss People's Party (SVP). It was formulated against the backdrop of the decision to adopt European Union sanctions against Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its initiators argue that economic sanctions are a "weapon of war" and that their enforcement has made Switzerland a party to the conflict.
The government and parliament reject the initiative, and without a counter-proposal. All major parties, except for the SVP, oppose it. The joint opposition headquarters includes the Social Democratic Party (SP), the Liberal-Radical Party (FDP), the Center Party, the Greens (GPS), and the Green Liberals (GLP).
According to them, the initiative endangers Switzerland's security and severely limits its freedom of action at a time when Europe is facing an unstable security situation.
In a poll by the Leewas institute for the Tamedia group and 20 Minuten, in which 13,154 eligible voters participated, 62% oppose the initiative and 36% support it, and only 2% have not yet decided. In a previous poll by the same institute, conducted in June, 54% were against and 34% in favor; thus, the gap of opponents has widened since then.
A poll by the YouGov Switzerland institute, published yesterday, in which 3,080 eligible voters participated, showed a closer picture: 50% oppose, 41% support, and 9% are undecided.
The last major battle in which Switzerland fought was in September 1515, when the Swiss Confederation was defeated in the Battle of Marignano near Milan by France. Only at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 did the powers recognize the "eternal" neutrality of Switzerland and guarantee it, and since then the country has not participated in any foreign war. Neutrality was enshrined in the Federal Constitution in 1848.
Along with defining neutrality as "eternal," it is also defined as "armed" — meaning Switzerland must maintain an army strong enough to deter any aggressor. As a result, Switzerland maintains a large army based on mandatory conscription, where every man is required to serve at least 245 days, and it invests large budgets in the procurement of advanced fighter jets and air defense systems.
As part of this, Switzerland even had an active program to develop nuclear weapons until it signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1969. Even after that, it maintained a "contingency plan" to obtain a bomb in case the treaty was violated. The committee responsible for this was only disbanded in 1988.
Due to its strict neutrality policy, Switzerland only joined the UN in 2002.
One who openly called for the approval of the proposal is Moscow. At the end of July, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova published a post on her Telegram channel, in which she wrote that "Switzerland has de facto ceased to be a neutral state" and that "'flexible neutrality' legally means the absence of neutrality."
According to her, the government of a country that built its sovereignty on the principle of neutrality is now explaining to its citizens why it should not be enshrined in the constitution, "because then it would have to be maintained."
