Council of States skeptical about reparation mechanism
Published: Thursday, Mar 7th 2024, 09:50
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The Council of States has not given the Federal Council any instructions in the discussion on the possible confiscation of Russian state assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine. It has refused to instruct the national government to draw up the corresponding legal basis.
On Thursday, the small chamber narrowly rejected five identical motions from the National Council by 21 votes to 19 with three abstentions. Five members of the SP, Greens, GLP, Center and FDP parliamentary groups in the National Council had submitted them before the elections in October 2023.
The National Council adopted the motions in the fall session. Now the motions are off the table. Opponents in the Council of States pointed out in particular that state assets are protected by sovereign immunity under international law. Weakening this principle would not be in Switzerland's interests. Moreover, the Federal Council was already active in this area and the motions were therefore unnecessary.
The authors of the motions wanted the Federal Council to take measures to ensure that the international legal basis for a reparations mechanism was developed at international level. This should make it possible, for example, to legally transfer frozen funds from the central bank of an aggressor to an attacked state.
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