The Swiss army must be able to acquire medium-range ground-to-air defense means. The Security Policy Commission of the Council of States is requesting a commitment credit of 660 million francs to fill a gap in this area.
In view of the international situation, the majority of the committee considers it urgent to act, the Parliament services indicated in a press release on Thursday. The Confederation must be able to place orders quickly, in order to secure a good place on waiting lists and place orders at current prices, she adds.
The decision was taken by 7 votes to 2 with 4 abstentions. A minority also considers this acquisition important, but believes that the financing issue should be resolved first. She also recalls that the time saving would be minimal, this purchase being provided for in the Message on the Army 2025.
Increase in spending ceiling
At the same time, the commission proposes to increase the army spending ceiling for the period 2025 to 2028 by 4 billion francs to bring it to 29.8 billion francs. This should make it possible to guarantee an increase in the army budget to correspond to 1% of GDP by 2030.
The Chambers refused, during the examination of the 2024 budget, to increase the amounts appearing in the 2025-2027 financial plan. The senators wanted military spending to increase faster than what the Federal Council decided and reach 1% of GDP in 2030 and not 2035. But the National Party narrowly refused.
The majority of the committee believes that in view of the worsening security situation in Europe, the strengthening of our country’s defense capabilities must be carried out quickly, like what is being done in many European countries, specifies the press release.
A fund for peace
The committee also wishes to create a fund for the security of Switzerland and peace in Europe, in the context of the war in Ukraine. She decided by 8 votes to 5 to table a motion to this effect.
The objective is to create a temporary fund to finance all additional financial needs from 2025 of 10.1 billion francs for the upgrade of the army’s armament until 2030 as well as the Swiss contribution of 5 billion francs to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure in Ukraine. The fund would be allowed to take on temporary debt.
For the majority, the two problems have in fact the common origin of the deterioration of the security situation in Europe following the war in Ukraine. Moreover, such a solution is in his eyes the only one capable of finding a political majority.
The creation of a special law necessary
Cumulatively, there are therefore 15 billion francs (5 billion for Ukraine and 10.1 for the army budget) which should be spent on extraordinary expenses, i.e. outside the normal state budget and not subject to the rules of the curb on debt.
This solution would require passing through a special law. For the coalition of the Center and the Left, however, this is not a problem.
>> Watch the 7:30 p.m. report again:
“We are in an extraordinary situation because the Defense situation has fundamentally changed over the last two years. We must therefore also take extraordinary measures,” comments State Advisor Daniel Jositsch (PS/ZH) on 7:30 p.m. .
But on the PLR side, it is a drift that we fear. “When we start doing this, it is to circumvent the mechanisms for sound management of public finances and it will inevitably create tensions over time,” explains Pascal Broulis.
To advise it to the Vaud States, a more cautious approach is therefore necessary. “I am in favor of strengthening the army, but we must not link it to other expenses such as Ukraine for example. We must wait one more year or save money in a sector to say that the priority priorities today are the army,” he concludes.
ats/ther
TV report: Michaël Maccabez
