Federal Council decides to participate in European Sky Shield Initiative
Published: Wednesday, Apr 10th 2024, 11:40
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Switzerland is to participate in the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) air defense system. This has been decided by the Federal Council. The responsible parliamentary committees can now express their opinions.
On Wednesday, the Federal Council approved the declaration of accession to the ESSI Cooperative Procurement Framework Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Better coordination in procurement projects and training as well as logistical aspects in the area of ground-based air defense are the main focus for the Council.
ESSI was launched in August 2022, six months after Russia launched its attacks on Ukraine. Eleven states have now signed the declaration of accession.
The next step is for the relevant parliamentary committees to express their opinions. If they express significant reservations, the DDPS will submit a proposal to the Federal Council on how to proceed. The SVP and Pro Switzerland criticized the commitment to Sky Shield when it was announced in summer 2023.
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