Ballot could bar Bern from adopting most sanctions against states at war
Swiss voters are deciding whether to impose constitutional limits on their country’s sanctions policy and security cooperation. The referendum, held on Sunday, could prevent Bern from adopting measures such as the European Union’s sanctions against Russia. No official result had been released at the time of publication.
The popular initiative, formally called “Safeguarding Swiss Neutrality”, would define Switzerland as permanently and militarily neutral. It would prohibit the country from joining or cooperating with a military alliance unless Switzerland faced an attack or an imminent threat.
The proposal would also stop the government from imposing sanctions on states involved in armed conflicts. Measures approved by the United Nations and steps intended to prevent other countries’ sanctions from being circumvented through Switzerland would remain possible.
What the initiative would change
Switzerland is already neutral, does not belong to NATO and does not participate in wars between other states. The central dispute is therefore not whether neutrality should continue, but how much freedom the government should retain when responding to conflicts and violations of international law.
Under existing law, the Federal Council can decide case by case whether to adopt sanctions imposed by the EU, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe or major trading partners. The government says the Neutrality Initiative would sharply restrict that discretion.
Its official assessment is that approval would prevent Switzerland from continuing to adopt EU sanctions directed against belligerent states. Existing restrictions on Russia would consequently have to be reviewed and, under the government’s interpretation of the initiative, lifted where they fell within the constitutional prohibition.
Bern adopted most EU sanctions against Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. That decision, covered at the time by The European Times, became a central point of contention in the domestic argument over neutrality.
Supporters of the initiative say a firmer constitutional rule would keep Switzerland out of foreign conflicts, protect its independence and reinforce its credibility as a mediator. They argue that economic sanctions compromise neutrality and can make Switzerland appear aligned with one side.
The Federal Council and Parliament oppose the initiative. They say Switzerland already observes the legal duties of a neutral state, while retaining the flexibility needed to defend its security, economic interests and support for the international order.
Security cooperation at stake
The proposal reaches beyond sanctions. Its restrictions on cooperation with military alliances could affect Switzerland’s ability to exchange security information, take part in training and prepare with European partners before a crisis reaches Swiss territory.
The government argues that waiting until an attack is under way or demonstrably imminent would leave too little time to establish effective cooperation. Campaigners for the initiative counter that looser arrangements risk drawing the country closer to military blocs without an explicit democratic mandate.
The debate has intensified as Russia’s war against Ukraine and uncertainty over transatlantic security have encouraged European governments to expand defence cooperation. Switzerland is not an EU or NATO member, but it is economically and geographically integrated with neighbouring states and hosts important diplomatic and humanitarian institutions.
Its sanctions decisions also matter beyond Swiss borders. The country is a significant centre for commodities trading, wealth management and international business. Differences between Swiss and EU restrictions can therefore create practical enforcement questions, even when Bern adopts measures intended to prevent sanctions evasion.
Polling points towards rejection
The final SRG survey before the ballot indicated that 63% of respondents intended to reject the initiative, while 34% supported it. The poll was conducted by gfs.bern between 2 and 9 September and included 12,916 eligible voters. Its reported statistical margin was 2.8 percentage points.
That survey is not a result. Swiss popular initiatives require both a nationwide majority of votes and a majority among the cantons to amend the Constitution. Postal voting is widespread, but official figures are released only after polling closes and counting proceeds across the country.
The federal results dashboard is scheduled to update continuously from noon on Sunday. Until those returns establish the outcome, the scale and regional distribution of support remain unknown.
A rejection would preserve the Federal Council’s present authority to align Switzerland selectively with EU and other international sanctions. Approval would begin a more complicated legal and diplomatic process, requiring the government to reconcile existing measures and security relationships with a substantially stricter constitutional definition of neutrality.
Whatever the result, the vote shows how Russia’s war has reopened a foundational Swiss argument. Neutrality remains widely valued; the unsettled question is whether it is best protected through rigid limits or through political discretion in a rapidly changing European security environment.
