Consistency is required in the parliamentary process on the “corrective initiative”. The Alliance against Arms Exports to Civil War Countries, of which terre des hommes schweiz is a member, is generally pleased that the indirect counter-proposal to the “Corrective Initiative” aims to amend the War Material Act in its favor. However, the Federal Council wants to be able to continue to evade consistent democratic control through a new exemption clause. Parliament must now close this loophole.
In its indirect counter-proposal, the Federal Council addresses important concerns of the “corrective initiative”: Deliveries to civil war countries or states that seriously and systematically violate human rights should no longer be possible. These regulations are to be enshrined in law in order to ensure the necessary democratic control over arms exports and prevent arbitrary decisions made under pressure from the arms lobby in future.
However, the Alliance vehemently rejects the proposed derogation powers for the Federal Council to nevertheless approve arms exports in “exceptional circumstances” and to “safeguard foreign or security policy interests”. The Federal Council simply wants to keep a loophole open in order to circumvent the right of Parliament and the population to have their say. This minimalist to ineffective implementation of the corrective initiative is unacceptable – the derogation clause must be deleted. As a compromise, the Alliance would be prepared to forego the deletion of the exemption clause for spare parts deliveries. However, ammunition must not be considered a spare part as it is today.
The parliamentary process on the “Corrective Initiative” was launched last week by the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States. The Alliance is pleased that a majority of the SSC-S supports the Federal Council’s indirect counter-proposal.
Unfortunately, the Alliance’s demand to remove the exemption clause for the Federal Council and for spare parts deliveries did not find a majority. It is disappointing that the SiK-S does not want to make the counter-proposal effective on two important points and is therefore once again unnecessarily calling Switzerland’s credibility and peace policy into question.
For a withdrawal of the initiative to be considered, the substantial demands of the Alliance must be met. This means: no exemption clause in favor of the Federal Council and no exemptions for ammunition deliveries. This is the only way Switzerland can act credibly in international peace policy and the only way a withdrawal can be considered.
Opinion correction-initiative.ch
