On 15 September, International Day of Democracy, a public panel discussion was held under the title ‘Comprehensive Security: Strategies for Resilience in Democracies. A Comparison of Germany and Switzerland’. The discussion centred on the question of how democracies can become more resilient in the face of growing security, economic and societal risks. It became clear that security today extends far beyond traditional military defence. Alongside capable armed forces, the protection of critical infrastructure, stable state institutions, technological and economic sovereignty, and, not least, social cohesion all play a decisive role.

The concept of ‘comprehensive security’ brings these various areas together and views security as a shared responsibility of the state, the business sector, academia and society. The discussion centred on a comparative analysis of Germany and Switzerland and what each country can learn from the other. One obvious difference is that Switzerland has traditionally pursued a policy of neutrality and has therefore not joined any military alliance such as NATO. Germany, by contrast, is firmly integrated into international alliances such as NATO and the EU and is committed to cooperation and mutual support. At the same time, both countries share the same set of core values.

Switzerland has long had a comprehensive approach to security policy firmly established. Another key focus was on cooperation within the European context. In view of the changing threat landscape, European states face the challenge of further developing their security strategies whilst learning from one another. Discussions centred on how defence capabilities, civil resilience and international cooperation can be effectively combined, and what conditions Europe needs to be able to guarantee its own security independently in the long term. The event made it emphatically clear that sustainable security requires a holistic approach. Only through the interaction of state, economic and societal actors, and through close European cooperation, can democracies strengthen their resilience