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A Swissmem lecture by Guy Parmelin at the armaments summit gives a deeper insight into how lobbying works in Switzerland. A power point meeting.
By Kaspar Surber
Impressed by the arms lobby’s presentation: Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, here in a Mowag Piranha wheeled infantry fighting vehicle.
Photo: Gian Ehrenzeller, Keystone
Last week, the WOZ made public which armaments companies had made the pilgrimage to Bern when Economics Minister Guy Parmelin recently invited to the “arms industry round table”. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) announced the names of the companies after a public request. Now it has delivered a Power Point presentation from Swissmem, the association of the Swiss machine, electrical and metal industries.
At this point, this document should be acknowledged in a little more detail. Because it gives a deeper insight into an area of Berne politics that is otherwise difficult to illuminate: lobbying, especially that for the armaments industry.
In addition to the largest Swiss armaments companies such as Mowag, Pilatus or Rheinmetall and SVP Federal Councilor Parmelin, representatives of the defense and foreign departments were also gathered at the armaments regulars’ table in the “Bernerhof”. Stefan Brupbacher appeared for Swissmem, as the presentation shows, and Matthias Zoller for the sub-department Swiss ASD – the abbreviation stands for Aeronautics, Security and Defense.
Stefan Brupbacher is no stranger: he was once party secretary of the FDP, then general secretary to the liberal Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann. At the time, Radio SRF dedicated a portrait to him entitled “The Shadow Minister”. Politicians described Brupbacher in the article as an “ideological hardliner” who determined the neoliberal course of the department. Even advances in Parliament would bear his signature.
Drama in the idyll
After Schneider-Ammann left in 2018, Brupbacher found a new position as director at Swissmem. In this function, too, he continues to influence Swiss legislation, as the Swissmem presentation in the “Bernerhof” shows.
It begins with a photo of Patrouille Suisse in front of snow-capped mountains. But the picture she paints of the state of the Swiss armaments industry is anything but idyllic. Although the industry is the “backbone of Swiss security”, emphasize Brupbacher and Zoller, it is disadvantaged compared to the competition abroad. This also affects a large number of SMEs. (Of course, the two of them do not mention that practically all the companies present in the “Bernerhof” belong to foreign groups.)
But who is to blame for the disadvantage? The answer in the presentation sounds like a medal for the group for a Switzerland without an army (GSoA): “30 years of barrage from the left have destroyed the narrative of the well-fortified Switzerland.” The ETH and the universities are no longer researching defense issues, complain Brupbacher and Zoller. Funds from the cantonal banks rejected companies that achieved more than five percent of their sales with armaments deals. And then there’s this: “Employees of armaments companies are themselves discriminated against privately – e.g. credit for buying a car.”
The dramatic situation for the armaments companies and their employees is due on the one hand to the left: “Left-armed opponents continue to oppose the army.” On the other hand, you can no longer rely on the right: “SVP neutrality initiative with a concept of neutrality that is completely wrong under international law and historically.” The conclusion of the Swissmem lobbyists: «Switzerland is self-inflicted and isolated in terms of foreign and security policy. Risk of banking secrecy 2.0.»
Implement as soon as possible!
If action is taken quickly now, however, a way out is possible. For this, only the war material legislation had to be relaxed: The Burkart motion should be implemented “asap” – i.e. as soon as possible. FDP President Thierry Burkart is demanding that countries with a similar export regime be allowed to pass on Swiss weapons to third countries. At the end of their speech, the two Swissmem men also plead for a cultural change: “Exemplify and demand appreciation for the armaments industry.” The federal government must combat discrimination against companies and their employees, be it as the owner of ETH or in talks with the financial center.
The question remains as to how the presentation was received by the responsible Federal Councilor Parmelin. “He and the other representatives of the various departments have shown interest and concern about the situation,” replies the Swissmem media office. “Federal Councilor Parmelin, however, sees Parliament as responsible.” Lobbying is already having an effect there. The State Council’s Security Commission supported Burkart’s motion slightly changed last week.
Swissmem writes about the cooperation with the legislature: “We are in contact with various parliamentarians, including Council of States Burkart.” So that no one gets the wrong idea, the association adds: “The parliamentarians work out their own proposals.”
Collaboration: Jan Jirát.
