Swiss committee seeks halt to foreign aid overhaul

Switzerland’s National Council Foreign Policy Committee is calling for a halt to reforms in international cooperation, SRF reported, accusing the Federal Council of making key decisions before Parliament has debated the new strategy.

The committee discussed the government’s strategy with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. A majority said it felt sidelined, according to Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter of the Centre party.

“The Federal Council has now anticipated crucial decisions and left Parliament out,” Schneider-Schneiter said.

The government has already indicated that spending on international cooperation will be cut under its budget relief programme. Since June, it has also been known that the Federal Council plans to allocate more money to humanitarian aid and end development cooperation in some countries.

Schneider-Schneiter said these decisions created facts before Parliament had considered the strategy. She also criticised the decision to provide 20 million Swiss francs less from next year, even though the new strategy is not due to take effect until 2029.

Hans-Peter Portmann of the FDP, a committee minority member, rejected the criticism. He said the Federal Council was merely preparing the proposal two or three years in advance and that Parliament had approved the savings for next year.

Portmann also said Parliament could still change any part of the strategy. He accused critics of using “staged outrage” to signal support to certain non-governmental organisations on which they depended.

The committee majority disagreed and wrote to the Federal Council, urging it not to anticipate decisions by the Federal Assembly.