It is not fierce anti-militarists who say this, but the Council of State of the canton of Vaud: the six measures in consultation to reduce admissions to civil service (read box) are “abrupt”. The Federal Council wants to replenish the army’s numbers by making civil service less attractive. “It is by strengthening the attractiveness of the army that the numbers can be guaranteed and not by restricting the possibilities of civil service,” judges the Council of State, for which “a significant drop in the number of days of civil service would have significant repercussions on essential areas of activity.
But the Vaudois Council of State is almost preaching in the desert. Elsewhere, opinions are more positive. The Neuchâtel Council of State supports the proposals, “very understandable in the current geopolitical context”, despite the fact that the Grand Council, invited to give its opinion, mostly said no. The Group for a Switzerland without an army is among the opponents. He judges that “the civil service is being made the scapegoat” and questions the calculations of the Confederation, which assures that the army will be short of manpower.
On the side of the political parties, the situation suggests that the proposed measures would pass the parliamentary vote. The motion which is at the origin of it comes from the UDC. The PLR and the Center lined up behind it. The Center, for example, judges that the civil service has lost its original spirit. It was created for people who have a conflict of conscience with serving in the army. However, today, a third of those registered for civil service have already been in the army, “before declaring a conflict of conscience”, the party is surprised, for whom “the war in Ukraine reminds us of the necessity of military security.
At the PLR too, the measures are accepted. The party even judges that they can only be “a transitional solution and that more must be done to remedy the staffing problems of the army and civil protection”. “We are convinced that these modifications are in the interest of all Swiss citizens, ensuring the security and resilience of our nation while respecting individual rights of conscience,” writes the PLR.
The Federal Council can now revise its project if it wishes and then submit a final version to Parliament. Note that similar proposals had been refused by elected officials in June 2020. That is, before the start of the war in Ukraine.
