Bern sticks with Swiss‑US trade talks despite court ruling on tariffs

Switzerland is aiming to finalise a US trade deal by the end of July, according to Bloomberg. Keystone-SDA

The conclusion of a trade agreement between Switzerland and the United States remains the Federal Council's top priority, regardless of Thursday's US court ruling that President Trump's tariffs are illegal.

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A US trade court has dealt another blow to President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy, ruling on Thursday that his latest 10% temporary global duties are unjustified.

“This decision has no impact on the ongoing negotiations between Switzerland and the United States on a trade agreement,” a spokesperson for the Swiss economics ministry declared on Friday.

The aim of the ongoing negotiations is to guarantee Swiss companies access to the US market that is as free of discrimination as possible, he said, citing long-term legal predictability as well.

Unjustified

On Thursday, a US court ruled that the temporary 10% customs duties to replace the generalised surcharges that had been struck down by the US Supreme Court were unjustified under a 1970s trade law, but blocked the levies only for two private importers and the State of Washington.

The US Court of International Trade’s 2-1 decision leaves
the temporary tariffs in place for all other importers while any appeal by the Trump administration plays out. They are expected to expire in July.

The court ruled that Trump’s imposition of the tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 was misguided. One of the judges said it was premature to grant victory to the plaintiffs.

While the ruling applies to a set of levies due to expire in
about two months, it marks another major setback for Trump’s global tariff ambitions.

It sets the stage for another protracted legal battle over
billions of dollars’ worth of tariff refunds three months after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs imposed under a national emergencies law.

Asked for a reaction, the Swiss economics ministry spokesperson said the Federal Council did not comment on the case law of the US courts.

Adapted from French by AI/with additional input/sb

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