Swiss neutrality and EU Köppel reviews the debate

Sep 28–Oct 1

Roger Köppel accepts the rejection of the stricter neutrality initiative while arguing that Swiss neutrality itself has not been buried. He welcomes the opportunity to vote, describes the result as an initial stage in a continuing debate and attributes complacency to decades of peace and prosperity. He faults the SVP, the only supporting party in his account, for a lukewarm campaign. Turning to the EU treaties, which he calls submission treaties, he says deliberations are underway in the Council of States and praises their grounded, respectful and passionate treatment of fundamental questions. These are his political assessments; he reports neither a new neutrality policy nor a final treaty decision.

Köppel reports that the Council of States is deliberating the Swiss–EU treaty package. He calls the treaties submission treaties and warns that the SVP will need greater conviction than it showed in the neutrality campaign. At the same time, he praises the parliamentary debate's grounded, respectful and passionate treatment of fundamental issues. His account describes deliberation underway as of October 1; it supplies no final package approval, referendum result or enacted treaty.