The alpine nation, which has been neutral since 1815, will “bring substantial added value” to the bloc’s defense project, Brussels has said
The Council of Europe has announced that it has approved the participation of Switzerland in the EU’s Military Mobility project.
Launched in 2017 as part of the bloc’s Permanent Structured Cooperation in Defense (PESCO) program, the initiative is designed to simplify and standardize cross-border military transportation within the EU, allowing for swift movement of personnel and assets throughout the bloc via road, rail, sea, or air routes.
The Netherlands, which is the coordinator of PESCO, can now invite Switzerland to join the bloc-wide defense initiative, the council said in a statement on Monday. The Military Mobility project functions under PESCO.
Switzerland will receive formal member status after completing an administrative agreement with the project, the statement read.
The participation of the country, which has been neutral since 1815, will “bring substantial added value” to the initiative, according to the council.
Switzerland applied for PESCO in September last year and will become the fifth non-EU state – after Canada, Norway, the US, and UK – to be invited to join the project.
The initiative is often called “Military Schengen” in reference to the Schengen Area, which includes 29 European countries, mostly EU members, that have abolished border controls with each other.
Last week, the conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP) demanded the resignation of Defense Minister Viola Amherd over what it said is the country’s gradual drift towards NATO. Switzerland’s “sovereignty is in danger and has already been partially abandoned,” the SVP argued.
Amherd, who has advocated closer ties with the US-led bloc, became the first Swiss defense minister to attend NATO’s North Atlantic Council in 2023.
Last year, she called for restrictions to be lifted on the re-export of Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine during the fighting with Russia. However, the ban remains in place.
Swiss authorities have also supported EU sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. Russia has reacted by saying it can no longer consider Switzerland neutral, and has placed it on the list of “unfriendly nations.”
