The Federal Council in Switzerland approved on Wednesday the country’s participation in the European Sky Shield Initiative air defence umbrella, designed to build an integrated air and missile defence system across Europe.

The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) was launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the initiative of Germany, and concerns the joint procurement of the same type of air defence missile systems.

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Switzerland had declared its intention to join the German initiative as early as last July. Several countries, including non-NATO members, have joined the program, including Germany, Britain and Finland. Greece joined the program in February 2024.

The initiative aims to cut costs for countries by coordinating the procurement of air and missile defence systems with the IRIS-T missile system, also aiming to enable cooperation in training, maintenance, and logistics.

Even after signing up as a member, Switzerland remains free to decide where and to what extent it plans to participate in ESSI and which surface-to-air defence systems it intends to acquire, the Federal Council said in a statement.

According to Reuters, neutral Switzerland is under increasing pressure from its European neighbors after Russia’s February 2022 invasion to militarily support Ukraine by allowing the re-export of Swiss-made weaponry.

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