Switzerland does not wish to be involved in wars, but she likes to earn money Politico comments emphatically.

The clash between these values ​​- plus concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a danger to all of Europe – is prompting the country to rethink its defense doctrine.

In a bombshell report published on Thursday, a panel of experts recommends to the government that the country, the which has been neutral since 1515, to work towards a “common defense capability” with the EU and NATO.

“Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, neutrality has again become the subject of political debate, both at home and abroad. Pressure on Switzerland to clarify its position is increasing,” the report said, calling for a “revision” of its policy. neutrality.

One of the many factors is how Switzerland’s neutrality has affected arms sales. Another is how best to defend a country surrounded by two blocs it does not belong to (ie Ukraine).

The potential political upheaval is yet another sign of how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is changing Europe’s security landscape. The unprovoked attack spurred Sweden and Finland abandon their neutrality and join NATO.

The experts who prepared the report — including diplomats, senior officials, the former head of the Swiss army and Wolfgang Isinger, former director of the Munich Security Conference — delivered their findings to Swiss Defense and Security Minister Viola Amherd, who he is also president of the Swiss confederation for 2024. The recommendations will inform Switzerland’s security strategy for 2025.

Allowing arms exports

Swiss arms exports fell 27% last year to less than 700 million Swiss francs (746 million euros) compared to 2022 — due to both strict arms export regulations and the end of air defense purchases from Qatar linked to hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Bern prohibits the sale of weapons to countries at war, and this has had a major impact on relations with other countries that want to send weapons to Ukraine that may include Swiss components. “The re-export ban must be lifted,” the report urges officials.

Switzerland has blocked the delivery of arms and ammunition in Ukraine from many European countries. It took months of lobbying for Switzerland to agree to send surplus Leopard tanks to Germany to replace those sent to Ukraine. Its refusal to allow Swiss-made ammunition to be sent to Germany’s stockpiles to be sent to Ukraine helped the German arms industry Rheinmetall to increase ammunition production in Germany.

Experts also want to strengthen the Swiss arms industry by strengthening countervailing policies and gaining access to EU and NATO armaments programs.

“Explosive” sentences

The report was controversial before it was even made public, as opposition parties accused Amherd of appointing mostly “anti-EU and devotees” to the expert panel.

It is likely to meet resistance in the Swiss parliament, especially from the pacifist parties of the left and the nationalist far-right. Amherd is already under fire for the country’s increasingly close ties with NATO.

“The report makes it clear that Switzerland is a Western country, and therefore supports Western values,” said Jean-Marc Ricli, head of the Geneva-based Security Policy Center for global and emerging risks.

However, “calls for increased military cooperation with NATO and the EU will likely cause a lot of debate within Switzerland,” he added, agreeing with estimates that exposure is potentially “explosive” indoors.

Experts are not suggesting that Switzerland completely scrap its neutrality and join NATO, but are urging deeper ties with the military alliance and the EU for joint training, anti-ballistic missile defense and bilateral and multilateral exercises.

The report also calls for military spending to reach 1% of GDP by 2030. Switzerland currently spends just 0.76% of GDP on defense — far less than any NATO member except Iceland, which does not has an army.

Although an invasion of Switzerland is unlikely, the country is already a target of hybrid warfareincluding disinformation, espionage and cyber attacks, according to the report. Experts recommend moving toward “global defense,” which means preparing the whole of society — not just the military — for a possible conflict.

“Close friends” with the EU and NATO

In recent months, the Swiss Federal Council, which runs the country, has signaled the country’s willingness to tighten ties with both NATO and the EU on security and defense.

On Wednesday, a Swiss delegation traveled to Luxembourg to meet with NATO’s Supply and Support Agency (NSPA). One of the objectives of the meeting was to assess potential synergies and opportunities for cooperation with the organization.

Earlier this month, the federal council also approved participation in two of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, one on military mobility aimed at facilitating cross-border transit and another on cyber defense.

According to Ricli, Switzerland wants to prove that it “plays its role” in case the neutral country needs military help from EU countries or NATO.

“There is an element of Switzerland’s reputation as potentially being a ‘lone rider’ that does not cooperate with European states,” he said. “If it wants to benefit from the help of its European partners, he has to give something back.”