Swiss Parliament rejects joining Russia sanctions task force

Switzerland’s parliament rejected a proposal for the government to join a US-led sanctions task force against Russia, saying cooperation with the body as an independent party is sufficient.

The Group of Seven-committee is tasked with freezing and seizing Russian assets that have fallen under sanctions imposed by the European Union and US over the invasion of Ukraine. Switzerland has so far resisted pressure to formally join the task force, saying it’s already in regular contact with the group and cooperation is working well.

Lawmakers on Wednesday voted 101-80 against the proposal by the Green party, parliament said in a statement. The bill had said that “as a custodian of Russian assets and the main center of the Russian commodities trade,” Switzerland bears a special responsibility for the effectiveness of the sanctions. 

A spokesperson for the economy ministry told Bloomberg that the government welcomes parliament’s decision as it reaffirmed the executive’s stance.

The sanctions are a hot-button issue in traditionally neutral Switzerland, with the government caught between international and domestic pressures. Groups opposed to weakening neutrality, including the right-wing People’s Party, recently collected enough signatures to hold a vote on enshrining a permanent stance of non-alignment into the constitution. This would also prohibit the government from participating in any sanctions regime.