The Bundesrat is against. It has been four years since Parliament called on the Federal Council to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. But to this day, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (61) refuses to comply with Parliament’s will. When it comes to foreign policy, the government does not let the National Council and the Council of States interfere.
Now the pressure on the Federal Council is mounting. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, appeals to the Swiss government. The letter was also signed by numerous current and former Swiss political figures, including former SP federal councilors Micheline Calmy-Rey (77) and Ruth Dreifuss (82).
Other signatories are Jakob Kellenberger (78), former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), numerous former ambassadors and the mayors of the largest German-speaking Swiss cities. Most supporters belong to the SP, with, for example, former chairman of the National Council Dominique de Buman (66), who politicized for the CVP, and former FDP member of the Council of States Dick Marty (77) also including members of other parties. the list.
Switzerland’s reputation is in jeopardy
The politicians and ambassadors see the country’s reputation and influence at risk if neutral Switzerland does not ratify the nuclear weapons ban. It prohibits, among other things, the development, production, testing and use of nuclear weapons.
It is feared that Switzerland’s stance will lead “others to increasingly see us only as a ‘fair-weather friend’ of humanitarian principles and international law, willing to do both in the interest of political expediency or as a response to insecurity and instability.
Last September, then-ICRC Director Peter Maurer, 66, turned to Switzerland and other non-signatory states, calling on “all states that have not yet joined the treaty to do so immediately.”
Does the contract really deliver anything?
So far, 91 countries have signed the agreement, which will enter into force in early 2021. The nuclear powers are not one of them – nor do they intend to be. This is one of the reasons why the Bundesrat is concerned about the treaty. He doubts the contract will do anything – even fears it could be counterproductive. The government believes that existing standards, instruments and forums – especially those of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – can be weakened.
However, the Federal Council consoled Parliament with a promise to reanalyze the whole matter. The report should be available in 2018, it said in response to the 2017 initiative. But to this day, Parliament is waiting for this analysis. Due to “pandemic-related postponements” of major conferences, the review has been postponed, the Federal Council announced this year in response to another initiative on the subject. It should be available early next year.
However, it is highly unlikely that the Bundesrat will suddenly come to a different conclusion. This is evident from the response of the Bundesrat. There are currently no signs that Swiss security policy partners or other neutral states would turn to the treaty, it says. Moreover, there is nothing to indicate that the nuclear weapons ban has any influence on the actions of nuclear powers, such as Russia.