The popular initiative 'Safeguarding Swiss neutrality' (Neutrality Initiative) was submitted on 11 April 2024 and seeks to embed a rigid understanding of neutrality in the Federal Constitution. This would mean that sanctions could no longer be imposed on belligerent states outside the UN and cooperation with military or defence alliances would be severely curtailed.
Adoption would be a change of course for Swiss neutrality
Adopting the initiative would mean moving away from the flexibility in the application of neutrality that has served Switzerland well, and limit the Federal Council's room for manoeuvre, which is crucial to safeguarding Switzerland's interests. Adoption would also have a negative impact on the country's foreign, security and economic policy. Neutrality would be locked into the Federal Constitution as an inflexible concept, leaving little scope for responding to foreign policy challenges. For example, it would no longer be possible to impose sanctions on belligerent states outside the UN. Sanctions are currently an important means for countries to respond to violations of international law. In addition, the possibility of security and defence policy cooperation would be severely restricted, thereby weakening Switzerland's defence capabilities.
Federal Council decision
The Federal Council is convinced of the value of neutrality for Switzerland. It believes that the 175-year-old practice of neutrality has proven its worth. Especially in today's international environment, a flexible approach to neutrality is needed within the framework of applicable international law. Rigidly enshrining a particular understanding of neutrality would be detrimental to the safeguarding of national interests.
In particular, the Federal Council is of the opinion that it is in Switzerland's interests to support internationally broad-based sanctions, which serve to maintain a peaceful and just international order. Cooperation with military and defence alliances is also in Switzerland's interests, in the view of the Federal Council. Joining any such alliance is already prohibited under the law of neutrality.
These considerations have led the Federal Council to recommend, without a counterproposal, that this initiative be rejected.
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