This is how Parmelin justifies the decision Army or civilian service? Federal Council wants to restrict freedom of choice
Switching from military to civilian service is to be made more difficult. The people and cantons will decide on the tightening of the law on June 14.
26.03.2026, 14:30
26.03.2026, 14:46
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- The Federal Council and Parliament want to make it much more difficult to switch from military to civilian service.
- The aim is to prevent conscripts from being able to choose freely between the army and civilian service.
- Switzerland will vote on the controversial bill on June 14.
Conscripts should not be able to choose whether they want to join the army or do civilian service. The Federal Council and parliament have therefore raised the hurdles for members of the army to switch to civilian service. A vote will be held on June 14.
On Thursday, President Guy Parmelin explained to the media in Bern why the changes are necessary. His Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) wrote that admissions to civilian service have remained at a high level in absolute terms since 2009.
The problem is that members of the army after recruit school, as well as specialists and army cadres, switch to civilian service. Higher entry barriers should therefore signal that civilian service is the exception for conflicts of conscience with the military, according to the EAER.
It should be accepted that fewer people and fewer days of civilian service will be available in the future. However, it is important to enforce the constitutional requirement that there is no freedom of choice between military and civilian service.
