Swiss voters to decide on easing arms-export rules

Switzerland’s voters will decide on 29 November whether to loosen the War Material Act, SRF reported after a televised debate featuring Federal President Guy Parmelin. Supporters say the change would help maintain a competitive defence industry, while opponents warn it would weaken controls on arms exports.

Parmelin said Parliament had spent two years working on the revision and called it a good law. He argued that the proposal would respect Switzerland’s neutrality while giving the defence industry the flexibility it needs. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs would continue to review each export application, he said.

Green Party lawmaker Gerhard Andrey argued that Switzerland did not need an export-oriented arms industry to maintain a capable military and should not equip foreign armies. Centre Party lawmaker Marianne Binder countered that restoring Switzerland’s defence capability required a functioning arms industry and international cooperation.

Social Democratic Party co-president Mattea Meyer said Switzerland would still have an army and an arms industry if voters rejected the proposal. But she warned that the revised law would relinquish control over weapons exports and could eventually allow Swiss weapons to reach repressive regimes. She also called it an “anti-Ukraine law”, saying Ukraine would not benefit from the changes.

Parmelin said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy understood Switzerland’s position on neutrality. Green Liberal Party lawmaker Matthias Jauslin rejected the claim that the change would undermine Parliament, saying the law was intended to prepare for the future. He and Swissmem director Stefan Brupbacher argued that current restrictions had made some countries less likely to buy Swiss goods and had prompted some companies to move production abroad.

Marc Jost of the Evangelical People’s Party said the revision would shift oversight from Parliament to the Federal Council. Amnesty International Switzerland campaign coordinator Patrick Walder warned that it would undermine human rights protections and said Switzerland must take responsibility for its arms exports.