Swiss government campaigns for relaxed arms-export rules

Swiss voters face a November 29 decision that could reshape the country’s arms-export regime. The Federal Council has opened its campaign for a yes vote on a revised War Materiel Act, arguing that Switzerland’s strict rules are weakening the industrial base needed for national defence.

The campaign follows parliament’s approval of a package that would give the government more room to authorise arms exports and re-exports in tightly defined circumstances. The proposed changes arrive as Russia’s war against Ukraine has altered European security policy and increased pressure on defence manufacturers across the continent.

Under current Swiss law, companies cannot export military equipment to states involved in internal or international conflicts. That restriction has made Swiss suppliers less attractive to European partners, according to the government. Bern says the resulting pressure threatens production capacity and employment in a sector it considers strategically important.

Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency in 2026, has presented the reform as a security and foreign-policy measure. The referendum will determine whether the Federal Council receives the additional authority it says it needs to respond to a more demanding European security environment.

The proposed law would loosen the rules governing transfers to third countries. The centre-right parliamentary majority wants the Federal Council to gain broader discretion when military equipment bought from Swiss manufacturers is later transferred or re-exported by Western states.

The reform would also create a government veto. Bern could require equipment to remain in the purchasing country when security or neutrality concerns arise. That provision would give the Federal Council a direct tool to block a transfer it considers incompatible with Swiss interests, even after an initial sale has been approved.

In exceptional circumstances, the government could depart from existing authorisation criteria to protect foreign-policy or security interests. Any such decision would still have to comply with Switzerland’s international obligations. The government describes this as flexibility for extraordinary crises, rather than a general removal of controls.

The legal change reflects a growing concern that Swiss manufacturers cannot participate fully in European defence cooperation while facing stricter export conditions than some partners. Switzerland eased parts of its rules earlier in 2026, allowing sales to countries involved in conflicts. The referendum now asks voters to endorse a broader framework for government action.

Swiss companies exported war materiel worth CHF 948.2 million in 2025, 43% more than the previous year. Firms supplied ammunition, armoured vehicles and other weapons to 64 countries, according to figures reported by Swissinfo in March.

Those figures give the government’s argument a measurable economic dimension. The defence sector already generates substantial export activity, yet Bern says strict rules could make Swiss companies unreliable partners for European buyers seeking integrated supply chains. If manufacturers lose orders, the effects could reach specialist production lines, engineering expertise and the workforce that supports them.

The government links industrial capacity directly to national defence. Switzerland’s armed forces depend on a domestic base able to maintain equipment, develop components and respond to changing security requirements. Officials argue that companies need access to foreign markets to remain viable, particularly because the Swiss market alone cannot sustain every specialised capability.

The 2025 export figures do not settle the referendum debate. They show the scale of the sector and the value at stake as voters weigh economic resilience against the country’s long-standing restrictions on arms transfers. The Federal Council is using that industrial argument to press for approval of the revised law.

Neutrality remains the government’s stated boundary for the new policy. Guy Parmelin told parliament that the revised regime would be applied in strict compliance with Swiss neutrality and international law, a pledge designed to address concerns about Switzerland becoming more directly involved in foreign conflicts.

The issue carries particular weight in a country that has built its foreign-policy identity around permanent neutrality. Arms exports already sit at the intersection of that principle, international sanctions and the commercial interests of Swiss manufacturers. Any expansion of executive discretion will therefore face close scrutiny from voters, political parties and civil-society groups during the campaign.

The proposed safeguards are intended to give Bern control over sensitive cases. The Federal Council could prevent equipment from leaving the purchasing country when security or neutrality concerns exist. It could also use exceptional powers only when foreign-policy or security interests justify a departure from ordinary authorisation criteria.

The government says international obligations would continue to apply in every case. The referendum debate will test whether voters regard those safeguards as sufficient, and whether they trust the Federal Council to balance industrial needs with Switzerland’s neutrality commitments.

The November 29 vote will decide how much authority Bern has when security policy moves faster than export law. A yes vote would establish a more flexible system for arms sales and re-exports, while retaining government controls over destinations and transfers that raise neutrality or security concerns.

For the Federal Council, the stakes extend beyond individual contracts. It wants Switzerland to remain a credible defence supplier and to preserve the industrial expertise that supports national military capabilities. European governments are expanding defence cooperation, and Swiss firms face decisions about whether they can continue competing within that market under existing restrictions.

Opponents of a looser regime will have to challenge the government’s assessment that export constraints threaten jobs and defence capacity. The government, in turn, must explain how exceptional powers would operate in practice and how parliament, the courts and the public could scrutinise sensitive decisions.

The campaign will place economic security, neutrality and democratic oversight in the same ballot question. Swiss voters will decide whether the revised War Materiel Act offers an acceptable balance between those priorities when they cast their votes on November 29, 2026.