How the neutrality initiative could affect Swiss policy

Neutrality as a compass: in which direction should it point? Christian Merz / Keystone

The neutrality initiative seeks to incorporate a strict interpretation of Swiss neutrality in the federal constitution. What would this mean for Switzerland’s foreign and security policy?

What would the neutrality initiative change?

In 2026, Swiss citizens will vote on the neutrality initiative. If a majority of both the people and the cantons approve it, Switzerland would writeExternal link “perpetual and armed” neutrality into its constitution.

Currently, the federal constitution states that the federal government and parliament are responsible for neutrality policy. This has allowed Switzerland to adapt its neutrality to the changing geopolitical circumstances over the decades. If the popular initiative is adopted, this flexibility would end.

The neutrality initiative explicitly stipulates that Switzerland would not be allowed to join any military alliance. But this is already prohibited under neutrality law. Joining NATO, for example, as Sweden and Finland did in 2023, ends a country’s neutral status. In Switzerland under the current model, such a step would in any case require the approval of both the people and the cantons in a mandatory referendum.

In terms of security policy, the initiative could force Switzerland to scale back its cooperation with NATO, including its participation in the Partnership for PeaceExternal link programme, of which Switzerland has been a part since 1996.

The most far-reaching change would be the ban on “non-military coercive measures”. This means that Switzerland would no longer be able to independently impose sanctions on countries at war, except when decisions of the UN Security Council mandate their implementation.

In 1815, Europe is divided at the Congress of Vienna. This was led by the four victorious powers of Austria, Prussia, Russia and Britain, and later also France. Keystone

What defines Swiss neutrality today?

While Swiss neutrality is internationally recognised, it is not required under international law. It is a self-imposed policy, meaning the Swiss can choose to revoke it. It is also armed neutrality, which means the army serves for self-defence. And it applies only to military matters, allowing Switzerland to maintain diplomatic and economic relations with countries at war.

Where does Swiss neutrality come from?

Like Austria and Ireland, Switzerland is a permanently neutral country.

Switzerland’s neutrality dates back further than any other country in the world. It was first internationally recognised at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, when neighbouring states agreed that Switzerland’s “perpetual neutrality” served their mutual interest.

Today, Swiss neutrality policy is based on the Hague Convention, which Switzerland signed in 1910. This cornerstone of international law defines how a neutral state should conduct itself in the event of war between two countries. A neutral state may not participate in any armed conflict and may not favour either of the warring parties through military means. Political statements or economic sanctions, however, are still allowed.

A neutral state like Switzerland may also cooperate with other states to guarantee the “inviolability of its territory” – for example, by importing arms. However, neutral states may not join any defence alliance that would oblige them to assist their allies in the event of conflict, as NATO’s mutual defence clause does.

While the legal framework governing neutrality is clearly defined, there is considerable leeway in Switzerland’s “policy of neutrality”.

What is the ‘policy of neutrality’?

The policy of neutrality encompasses everything Switzerland does to ensure its neutrality and strengthen its reputation as a credible neutral actor. The approach has evolved over time according to the circumstances. During the Cold War, for example, neutrality was very narrowly defined, and Switzerland was very reluctant to join international organisations such as the Council of Europe in 1963. The collapse of the Soviet Union then ushered in a new phase for Swiss neutrality policy. Since 1993External link, Swiss foreign policy has been guided by the principle that international security is best achieved through cooperation.

How have current wars and conflicts influenced the debate on Swiss neutrality?

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, ongoing since February 2022, has sparked heated debate in Switzerland about its neutrality. The country has adopted most of the EU’s sanctions against Moscow. Meanwhile, some in Switzerland argue that the political measures in response to Russia’s aggression do not go far enough.

Others, including Christoph Blocher, who has long shaped the course of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, have described economic sanctions as a “weapon of war”. Blocher argues that Switzerland should return to the more inclusive neutrality of the 1930s, which excluded the use of sanctions. It was this vision of neutrality that ultimately inspired the neutrality initiative.

The driving forces behind the neutrality initiative

“Switzerland is abandoning its neutrality, piece by piece,” says the initiative’s official websiteExternal link. This, it argues, is happening not only through the adoption of EU sanctions against Russia but also through closer ties with NATO.

Supporters of the neutrality initiative include former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and right-wing politicians, but the driving force behind it is the association Pro SwitzerlandExternal link. Founded in 2022, it emerged from the AUNS (Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland), an alliance formed in the 1980s on the initiative of Christoph Blocher from a committee that successfully prevented Switzerland from joining the UN at the time. Later, the AUNS played a key role in the successful campaign against Switzerland joining the European Economic Area in 1992.

Pro Switzerland also takes a strongly critical stance towards the EU and is currently lobbying against the proposed package of agreements between Switzerland and Brussels.

According to the initiative’s pro-campaign websiteExternal link, European integration challenges the core doctrine of Swiss statecraft – the principle that the country should remain ideologically neutral and avoid taking sides in conflicts.

The handing in of the “Safeguarding Swiss neutrality (neutrality initiative)” on April 11, 2024. More than 130,000 signatures were collected. Anthony Anex / Keystone

What is the Swiss government’s position on the neutrality initiative?

The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body of government, opposes the initiative but emphasised in its statement that it remains “convinced of the value of neutrality for Switzerland”. In its view, however, the initiative would mean a “departure from the proven flexibility in the application of neutrality”. In practice, the government says, adopting the neutrality initiative would limit the government’s freedom to act in foreign affairs, especially with regard to economic sanctions.

What are experts saying?

“Will strict neutrality serve Switzerland’s interests?”External link asked Constanze Stelzenmüller at a hearing of the foreign affairs committee in the Senate. The German lawyer, who works at the Brookings Institution, a thinktank in Washington, D.C., concluded that Switzerland has benefited from being neutral when it has engaged in various forms of cooperation with other countries. Stelzenmüller therefore questions whether the neutrality initiative is the right instrument to guarantee Switzerland’s security and sovereignty.

Swiss political scientist Wolf Linder, on the other hand, supports the neutrality initiative. Writing on the online news platform InfosperberExternal link, the professor emeritus of political science at the University of Bern argues that the popular initiative seeks to “anchor neutrality and its basic principles in the federal constitution”, thereby somewhat countering the “short-term thinking” of some politicians. According to Linder, over the past three years the government has, unfortunately, partly squandered the credibility of Swiss neutrality abroad.

Edited by Benjamin von Wyl. Adapted from German by David Kelso Kaufher/ts