Switzerland’s century-old policy of neutrality is heading for a crucial test as the country prepares to vote on whether its weapons should be allowed to reach a wider group of western nations, even those involved in armed conflicts.
The proposed amendments to Switzerland’s War Materiel Act would allow arms exports to 36 western countries, including the United States, European Union members and Japan, even when they are involved in armed conflicts, provided the weapons are not intended for use in those conflicts, according to Reuters. Ukraine, however, would remain excluded from the arrangement.
The referendum has significant implications for Switzerland’s defence manufacturing sector, which employs around 14,000 people and exported military equipment worth approximately $1.15 billion in 2025, according to Reuters.
Centre Party lawmaker Reto Nause said the legislation needed to reflect the deteriorating international security environment. “We’re facing a level of threat we haven’t seen since the Second World War,” Nause said, arguing that Switzerland needed to preserve its domestic arms production capacity and expertise in critical military technologies. Switzerland was the world’s 17th-largest arms exporter over the past decade, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. “This is decisive, it’s really ‘go’ or ‘no go’ for the future of the Swiss arms industry,” Zoller said.
The proposed changes would also scrap the general requirement for countries purchasing Swiss weapons to sign declarations prohibiting their re-export to third countries without prior approval from Bern. The government could still demand such assurances on a case-by-case basis.