A decades-old agreement between Bern and Paris gives dual Swiss-French nationals a ‘way out’ of military service in Switzerland. But this could now change.
Under the pact concluded between the two countries in 1997, young men who are dual nationals of both Switzerland and France can forego Swiss military service if they attend the “Defence and Citizenship Day” (“la journée défense et citoyenneté”) in France.
Each year, about 800 Franco-Swiss take advantage of this law to dodge the Swiss army.
However, the lack of recruits and increasingly tense security situation in Europe has prompted first the parliament and now the Federal Council to seek changes to this rule.
It no longer wants to allow a brief theory course in France to exempt bi-nationals from the military requirement in Switzerland and will seek to re-negotiate the agreement with Paris to this effect.
Not up to Switzerland’s standards
The move to end the current agreement between the two countries was spearheaded by MP Pascal Schmidt from the Swiss People’s Party, who submitted a parliamentary motion asking for this change in February 2025.
It seeks to impose Swiss service on dual citizens whose military stint abroad is not up to Switzerland’s standards — like in France.
Its “Defence and Citizenship Day,” for instance, clearly doesn’t meet these requirements.
According to France’s Defence Department, it is a “half-day event that reminds everyone that freedom comes at a price. It’s also a unique opportunity for direct contact with the military community and a chance to discover the many civilian and military careers and specialties that the Defence Department offers young people today. These opportunities not only offer professional opportunities, but also specific support opportunities for young people in difficulty, who can—if they wish—obtain guidance on how to find suitable support structures.”
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Clearly, this is nowhere near what is required of Swiss army recruits — that is, 18 weeks of basic training, followed by six refresher courses lasting three weeks each, for nine years.
“Bi-nationals have a clear advantage,” Schmidt said, adding that in the last five years, the “under-staffed” Swiss army has been short of nearly 5,000 recruits precisely because the law allows dual nationals to undergo their military obligation in their other country.
“I cannot imagine that a majority in the parliament wants to maintain this situation,” he said.
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