Commission in favor of Switzerland joining oligarch task force
Published: Tuesday, Mar 26th 2024, 18:51
Updated At: Tuesday, Mar 26th 2024, 17:52
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Switzerland should join the international task force to track down Russian oligarch money (Repo, for Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs) as soon as possible. The responsible National Council committee supports a request to this effect by a narrow majority.
The motion was submitted by National Councillor Franziska Ryser (Greens/SG). The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council (FAC-N) supported it by 12 votes to 11 with one abstention, as reported by the Parliamentary Services on Tuesday.
Switzerland in responsibility
Switzerland, which manages Russian assets and is the main location for Russian commodities trading, has a great deal of responsibility for the effectiveness of measures aimed at quickly ending Russia's war against Ukraine, Ryser said in justifying the motion. The National Council will discuss the motion in the special session in April. If it agrees, the Council of States still has to decide.
In the eyes of supporters, Switzerland must do more to ensure that the sanctions against Russia are fully implemented. Switzerland's participation in the task force would improve the exchange of information and coordination with other countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia.
The dissenting minority believes that the current cooperation with the task force is working sufficiently well. If Switzerland participates in the task force, there is a risk that Switzerland could lose its independence in the area of sanctions policy.
Effects on good services unclear
It is also not sufficiently clear to the minority how any participation in the task force would affect good offices and data protection in connection with the sanctions and what legal consequences it would have.
The Federal Council also rejects the motion. In its statement, it wrote that Switzerland is prepared to work more closely with its international partners on the implementation of sanctions and, where it makes sense, to cooperate more closely. Switzerland is already in contact with several members of the repo task force.
Just under a year ago, Switzerland turned down an invitation from the most important industrialized nations (G7) to join the task force. At the time, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) wrote on its website that Switzerland saw no need to formally join.
Allegations rejected
Diplomatic representatives from France, Italy, Germany, the USA, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom had previously sent a letter calling on Switzerland to do more in the search for oligarch funds. They accused the Swiss government of not having blocked enough funds.
Scott Miller, US ambassador to Switzerland, had also criticized the difficult cooperation with Switzerland on the sanctions in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). Switzerland rejected these accusations.
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