Swiss parliamentary committee proposes foreign aid cuts and military funding boost
More money for the army and agriculture at the expense of foreign aid
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Listening: Swiss parliamentary committee proposes foreign aid cuts and military funding boost
A committee of the Swiss House of Representatives has outlined its priorities for the 2025 federal budget, allocating more funds to the military and agriculture while cutting back on foreign aid and asylum. This decision leaves parliament with virtually no room for manoeuvre.
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Mehr Geld für Armee und Landwirtschaft zulasten der Auslandshilfe
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If all the proposals from the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives are approved by parliament, next year’s federal budget will just about meet the debt brake requirements. Committee president Sarah Wyss, a Social Democrat from Basel, announced this to the media in Bern on Wednesday.
A conservative majority in the committee has set the financial policy priorities, focusing on national defence, agriculture and maintaining the debt brake. The committee proposes CHF530 million ($600 million) more for the army than the Swiss government, and an additional CHF46 million for agricultural funding.
The largest proposed cuts target international cooperation, with a reduction of CHF250 million, and asylum, which faces a cut of CHF105 million.
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Translated from German by DeepL/sp
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