ZURICH, July 4 (Reuters) - Switzerland wants to participate in the European Sky Shield air defence umbrella, the government said on Tuesday, a move which critics say is incompatible with the country's long-standing tradition of neutrality. European Sky Shield is a common air defence scheme set up by Germany in 2022 to boost European air defence, an issue which has come into sharper focus since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Switzerland wishes to participate in the European Sky Shield Initiative and a declaration of intent is due to be signed in Bern," the Defence Ministry told Reuters, confirming an earlier report by broadcaster SRF. Some 17 European countries have so far signed up to the Sky Shield project including Germany, Britain, Finland and Sweden. The Sky Shield move has provoked concerns from Switzerland's neutrality lobby.

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Persons: Viola Amherd, Werner Gartenmann, John Revill, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sky, Swiss, Sky Shield, Defence Ministry, Reuters, SRF, Patriot, Pro Schweiz, NATO, Thomson Locations: ZURICH, Switzerland, Germany, Ukraine, Austria, Bern, Britain, Finland, Sweden, Swiss, Denmark