Swiss upper house rejects $5.58B aid contribution for Ukraine
Aid package also included additional funding for Switzerland's armed forces
A citizen inspects the rubble of the destroyed building after Russian rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Ukraine on August 15, 2023.
GENEVA
Switzerland’s upper house of parliament voted Monday against a 5 billion Swiss franc ($5.58 billion) aid contribution to support the reconstruction and repair of infrastructure in Ukraine.
The fund was part of a 15-billion-franc ($16.7 billion) package, which included 10.1 billion francs ($11.2 billion) in additional funding for Switzerland’s armed forces.
The special fund for Ukraine was proposed by a parliamentary committee in a motion in April.
A center-left alliance in parliament had initially supported the project. However, with 28 votes against and 15 in favor, the House rejected both the additional funding for the army and the reconstruction aid for Ukraine.
Opposition came from the conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) and the liberals from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), but also from the left-wing parties.
Lawmaker Josef Dittli from the FDP criticized the circumvention of the debt brake, saying during the debate on the package that this is against the constitution and the law.
According to Dittli, the Swiss state is free to decide “what it wants to spend on defense capability and aid, even taking into account the debt brake.”
Lawmaker Peter Hegglin from the Christian Democratic Party (CVP) criticized the fact that the amount for the fund would have to be written off over six financial years in accordance with the Swiss Constitution.
According to Hegglin, this would result in budget restrictions. The Finance Committee of the House of Representatives and the Swiss federal government had also spoken out against the special fund before the vote.
Supporters of the special fund criticized that in their opinion, Switzerland was not doing enough for Ukraine.
“The war affects us too. If Ukraine loses, we will also be affected,” Brigitte Häberli-Koller from The Center party said during the debate.
Although the House rejected the special fund, it also decided to increase the payment framework for the Swiss Armed Forces by 4 billion Swiss francs ($4.46 billion) to 29.8 billion francs ($33.25 billion) between 2025 and 2028.
