Swiss parties divided on measures in response to new US tariffs

Left-leaning Swiss parties in particular are calling for strengthening ties with Europe as the US imposes massive tariffs on the Alpine country. Keystone-SDA

Most Swiss parties are critical of the new 39% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. But they are divided on possible solutions, which range from strengthening Switzerland's competitiveness to working even more closely with the European Union.

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In a statement, the centre-right Radical-Liberals denounced the new tariff rate as “a disaster and a direct attack on our prosperity”. Trump “is acting against all the principles” that liberals and Western democracies defend: reliability, free trade and a strong, rules-based world order.

The United States is sabotaging both the “very good and reliable” relations it has maintained with Switzerland for decades and free trade as a whole, the party added.

Strengthening competitiveness

The party is calling on the Swiss government to continue its negotiations with Washington for a “viable” solution. But it is also calling for “swift and decisive” measures to support the competitiveness of Swiss companies and mitigate economic damage. In a plan adopted at the end of June, the party opposed any new taxes and called for a hiring freeze at the federal level.

In a statement sent to news agency Keystone-SDA, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party also called on the government to “massively reduce” the burden on the economy. According to its president, Marcel Dettling, it is urgent that the state reduce taxes and duties, cut red tape and lift certain regulations.

For the party, “aligning with the EU and thus adopting its monstrous bureaucracy and all its regulations would be the stupidest thing that Switzerland could do”. Instead, it should follow the path laid out by Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and conclude free trade agreements with as many countries as possible so as not to be dependent on individual trading partners.

Cooperating with the EU

Conversely, the left-wing Social Democrats believe that Trump’s announcement “shows once again” that Switzerland must not isolate itself on the international stage. For the party, one thing is clear: Switzerland must cooperate more closely with Europe and other democracies.

“In a world where the most powerful players act unpredictably, it is essential to stand together with reliable partners,” said parliamentary group co-chair Samuel Bendahan, while criticising “the complacent policy of the government’s conservative majority”.

“Kneeling before Trump and going it alone was clearly a mistake,” said Green Party president Lisa Mazzone on the social network Bluesky. She called for close cooperation with the EU and the launch of a stimulus programme for a green industrial policy.

The Geneva politician also called for the taxation of American technology companies, the defence of multilateralism, an end to the acquisition of the American F-35 fighter jets, and an end to the austerity programme.

“Arbitrary decisions from Washington or stable relations with the EU? Now more than ever: yes to Bilateral Agreements III,” wrote the Liberal Green Party on X. On the same social network, its president, Jürg Grossen, said that the right-leaning parties must abandon the idea of turning solely to Washington because it is the “most important” market for Switzerland.

‘Avoiding the worst’

Trump is “playing cat and mouse with Switzerland,” added Grossen. The supposed “good relations” have not borne fruit. ‘The Swiss government must now come down from its high horse and avoid the worst between now and August 7″, the date when the new tariffs are set to come into force.

Former Centre Party president Gerhard Pfister criticised Trump’s “arbitrary policy, which is damaging Switzerland like no other”. For him, committing to cooperation with other countries based on rules and values and a democratic consensus remains the only option for Switzerland.

Parliamentarian Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter of the Centre Party went further, referring to a “more than salutary shock”. The People’s Party and the few hedge fund managers in central Switzerland who want to make themselves important should now ask themselves whether a debate against the framework agreement with the EU is really still appropriate, she said.

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Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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