National Council against reconstruction fund for Ukraine
Published: Tuesday, Mar 5th 2024, 10:01
Updated At: Tuesday, Mar 5th 2024, 10:01
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The National Council does not want to record the expenditure for the reconstruction of Ukraine as extraordinary - and does not want to create a special fund for this purpose. On Tuesday, the National Council rejected a corresponding motion from its Finance Committee (FK-N). Aid organizations fear negative consequences for development cooperation in other parts of the world.
The large chamber rejected the motion by 111 votes to 71 with five abstentions. In addition to the SVP and FDP, a clear majority of the center group also voted against the motion. It is therefore off the table.
The Commission's motion stipulated that the contributions to the fund should be booked as an extraordinary item and not charged to the regular budget.
Not at the expense of other regions of the world
The majority of the Finance Committee argued that Switzerland was expected to make an appropriate contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine. However, this commitment should not lead to a massive reduction in support for people in other crisis regions of the world. A fund for aid to Ukraine should therefore not simply be fed with money from the regular budget for international cooperation.
As far as the amount of the contribution is concerned, no amount was mentioned in the motion text: It had to be based on "appropriateness in international comparison", it said.
It is now estimated that over 400 billion US dollars worth of buildings and infrastructure have been destroyed in Ukraine, said Claudia Friedl (SP/SG) on behalf of the Commission majority. Switzerland wanted and needed to help.
"Setting priorities"
The Federal Council and a minority of the committee successfully requested that the motion be rejected. Alex Farinelli (FDP/TI), speaking on behalf of the minority of the committee, said that Parliament had to set priorities in view of the federal government's financial situation.
The national government pointed out that Switzerland was already committed to Ukraine. It was of the opinion that an extraordinary entry was not permissible, as the expenses were not unforeseen but could be planned.
Opinions differed on this point during the debate. The decisive factor for exceptionality is that an event is beyond the control of the state, said Friedl. This was the case with the war in Ukraine.
In its statement, the Federal Council conceded that it was foreseeable that the costs for the reconstruction of Ukraine would one day be very high. The federal government is already examining what financing options are available.
Criticism from aid organizations
The organization Alliance Sud, which brings together several Swiss aid organizations, criticized the National Council's decision in a reaction - and called the centrist party to account.
The consultation on the federal government's international cooperation strategy clearly showed that solidarity-based support for Ukraine should not come at the expense of other priorities and programs, wrote Alliance Sud. In the past, the center has also stated that the additional expenditure for Ukraine should be reported separately.
"Today, the center has failed to back up its words with deeds," Andreas Missbach, Managing Director of Alliance Sud, was quoted as saying in the communiqué.
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