The media pointed to the threat to the Swiss defense industry due to export regulations

The Swiss defense industry risks losing its export niches and facing losses due to restrictions on the supply of its products to other countries. This was reported on April 30 by the Bloomberg information agency, citing industry representatives.

"Given the billions of European investments that we expect to see in the coming years, [EU] countries are likely to deliberately exclude Swiss products from their supply chains," said Matthias Zoller, head of the Swiss association of defense manufacturers.

According to Zoller, the situation may worsen in the coming years: existing contracts will soon be completed, and neighboring countries are already starting to produce the same components that only Switzerland produces so far.

Strict export restrictions prevent the supply of products from Switzerland to areas of armed conflict, and also prohibit other countries from reselling weapons if they contain more than 50% Swiss components. Starting in 2021, any exceptions to these rules have been lifted.

"Customers placed orders only on the condition that the products were not manufactured in Switzerland," explained Peter Huber, Chairman of the Management Board of Systems Assembling.

As Bloomberg notes, the largest political party in the Swiss parliament, the Swiss People's Party, advocates strengthening the country's neutrality. This could lead to even stricter export restrictions, which, according to Antonio Barroso, senior analyst at Bloomberg Economics, threatens Swiss manufacturers with the loss of most foreign contracts.

Earlier, on March 10, the media reported a drop in exports from Germany by €129.2 billion, or 2.5% compared to December 2024. At the same time, imports of goods to Germany increased by 1.2% and amounted to €113 billion, despite the 2.1% increase expected by experts.