After unsuccessful talks between the Swiss delegation and the American side, the Swiss government convened an extraordinary meeting on Thursday afternoon. After the meeting, President Karin Keller-Sutter announced that Switzerland would continue to talk to Washington. – “For those affected by sectors, companies and their employees this is an extremely difficult situation,” she emphasized.
Damien Cottier, chairman of the Swiss-American parliamentary group, noted that the decision of President Donald Trump may not be final. – “We must continue negotiations and present our arguments that are convincing” He said, quoted by Reuters.
Swissm, or the Swiss Association of Technology Industry, called the situation “black script”. In its statement on Platform X, the organization warned: “If these horrendous duties remain in force, the export of the Swiss technology industry to the US will be practically dead, especially in the face of much lower customs duties for competition from the EU and Japan.”
New US customs rates for 70 countries and the European Union have already entered into force. Customs duties on Swiss goods are as much as 39 percent. – This is one of the highest tariffs in the new package.
Switzerland, whose economy is largely based on exports, in 2024 recorded a trade surplus from the USA of $ 48 billion. The United States is the largest foreign market for Swiss companies, responsible for 17 percent. all exports. At the same time, Switzerland is the sixth largest foreign investor in the USA.
