Updated: 12 April, 2005
Note: Switzerland does not have any Official Orders, Decorations or Medals. As well, there are strict rules to the acceptance of Foreign Awards. Not all Swiss can accept foreign awards; members of the armed forces, government employees and parliamentarians are banned from receiving them under national legislation. This ban was originally implemented in the 1848 Swiss constitution, as a means of guaranteeing Switzerland’s independence from foreign interests. Before 1848, the Swiss Confederation’s biggest export was soldiers. To guarantee the loyalty of these mercenaries, foreign monarchs, especially the French, used to award them pensions, titles and medals. But when Switzerland’s first constitution was drawn up in 1848, the authorities wanted to guarantee the new state’s independence. All mercenary service was abolished with the exception of the Vatican Guard, and strict guidelines for foreign awards were established. Article 12 of the Constitution said that parliamentarians and federal employees could not receive or wear foreign decorations. When it was revised in 1874, the ban was extended to citizens serving in the army. This did not stop some politicians from receiving awards. The most famous case involved Gustave Ador, a federal minister at the end of the First World War, who wore the Legion of Honour’s Grand Cross, the highest possible distinction. In 1931, to prevent further abuses of this type, the government tightened the rules, banning cantonal authorities and employees from accepting foreign honours. Parliamentarians were also told to hand back any medals, even if they had been awarded before being elected to office. This happened to Geneva’s Jean Ziegler, who had to give up on his officer’s rank in the French Order of the Arts in 1987. The latest revision of the Constitution in 1999 saw Article 12 disappear altogether. Parliament decided that such a ban could be covered by legislation. The new law goes over the much of the same ground previously covered in the Constitution. Citizens serving in the army, parliamentarians and federal employees cannot accept foreign awards. Those who received them before taking office simply have to restrain from wearing their medals in public. Ref: swissinfo 1 Aug 03, Olivier Pauchard (translation: Scott Capper)
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Swiss remain wary of foreign honours Ethnologist, Pierre Centlivres,is to receive France’s highest civilian award, the Legion of Honour. swissinfo, Switzerland 2 Aug 03 |
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Peacekeeping Service Medals As a result of a Directive dated 10 March, 2000, Swiss soldiers who serve on peacekeeping mission are authorized to wear a medal for that service. The medals are awarded for 150 days in theatre. To date, the following medals have been authorized: Peacekeeping Medal (pictured left), Korea, Namibia, Sahara (MINURSO), Bosnia-Herzegovinia and Kosovo. vbs-ddps.ch Mar 05 |
