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The National Council wants to spend more money on the army – 600 million francs by the end of 2024. It responded to the message from the Federal Council on the army in 2023. This proposal includes an increase in the budget for the army, from originally 21.1 billion to 21.7 billion. The SVP, FDP and Mitte spoke out in favor of increasing army funds. The SP, Greens and GLP voted against.
At the same time, the National Council took the first step towards the tank deal: the Grand Chamber approved the resale of 25 Leopard tanks to the German manufacturer. The bill will now go to the Council of States.
For years, nearly 100 Swiss Army Leopard 2 main battle tanks have been mothballed in a warehouse in eastern Switzerland. Now 25 go to the German arms company Rheinmetall – and from there to the German army or other European armies.
Unholy Alliance lost
The SVP and the Greens wanted to waive the resale condition to Germany, but were defeated by 84 votes to 100. The Security Policy Committee of the National Council (SIK-N) had requested its decommissioning. The Bundesrat agreed and calculated that Switzerland’s needs would be met despite the sale.
The proposal will now go to the Council of States. If he also says yes to decommissioning, nothing is sealed. Because the state government has the final say on the sale of the tanks. (SDA)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
