Swiss ‘could lose military contracts’ over re-export restrictions
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Switzerland's stance on the re-export of arms to Ukraine makes it a less reliable supplier of military hardware to European partners, says former EU chief negotiator Christian Leffler.
This content was published on
2 minutes
La Liberté/ac
Italiano
it
La Svizzera “potrebbe perdere contratti militari” a causa delle restrizioni alla riesportazione
“In future, countries will think twice before placing orders with Switzerland,” the Swede said in an interview published in the La Liberté paper on Monday. He warned that the Swiss military industry runs the risk of losing contracts.
Several states are finding that Switzerland is not as reliable as they thought, added the former negotiator, who called for an end to “political acrobatics”. In his view, Switzerland must quickly authorise the sale, resale and transfer of arms and munitions to Ukraine, and also better track the money of oligarchs.
Switzerland is under strong international pressure to allow re-exports of Swiss-made weapons. Spain, Germany and Denmark, among others, have requested that Swiss-made war materiel be sent to Kyiv. The Swiss government has so far always opposed this, invoking the law of neutrality and the law on war materiel.
Two interventions calling for a relaxation of the re-export provisions failed in the spring session of parliament. Several parliamentary initiatives on this subject are still pending.
Switzerland has also recently been called upon to do more to track down the money of Russian oligarchs. Several ambassadors of the G7 states have demanded in a letter for the Swiss government to take stronger action.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
AI can reduce the number of animals needed for research
This content was published on
Swiss researchers have developed a new, AI-supported method that analyses the behaviour of mice in the laboratory more efficiently.
Geneva Conventions conference on Middle East scheduled for March 2025
This content was published on
The conference on the Middle East of the 196 States party to the Geneva Conventions, organised by Switzerland, will take place in Geneva in March.
Swiss university graduates are popular hires worldwide
This content was published on
Graduates of Swiss universities are popular with international employers, according to the Global Employability University Rankings.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.