Leading Swiss politician favours closer EU defence ties

SP co-president Cédric Wermuth in favour of European security Keystone-SDA

The co-president of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SP) has called on Switzerland to step up security cooperation in Europe.

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Military cooperation must be planned first and foremost with the European Union, Cédric Wermuth said on Monday.

“One way or another, we must support the coalition that is being set up, with Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer at the helm”, Wermuth told Le Temps. The move is necessary in the face of what he describes as “betrayal by Trump’s neo-fascist government”.

Wermuth is referring to the “coalition of the willing” that Paris and London are trying to put together to guarantee a possible peace in Ukraine.

This European security structure is in the process of being set up, “even if there are a lot of questions”, said Wermuth, who believes that it is Switzerland’s only “reliable” partner. Switzerland therefore needs to think about building a civil security system, and military cooperation should no longer be considered solely with NATO – which the SP opposes – but first and foremost with the EU.

Around €12 billion

“We must finally make our contribution to the defence of a democratic and social Europe”, Wermuth told the NZZ. In this respect, he could imagine Switzerland co-financing European defence forces.

At the end of the day, Switzerland also benefits from this protection of Europe, all the more so if America withdraws from NATO, he said.

Military action is out of the question, but Switzerland can help with the reconstruction of Ukraine, reiterates Wermuth. With regard to the figure of €500 billion mentioned, he considers the CHF5 billion proposed for the next ten years as “ridiculous”.

While a Swiss contribution of CHF20-25 billion would be more proportionate, the parliamentarian believes that at least a doubling of the funds is realistic.

This could use CHF7 billion of the Russian central bank assets frozen in Switzerland and around CHF5 billion of Russian oligarch assets. “It’s a question of political will,” said Wermuth.

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Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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