Trump tariffs: Swiss economics minister holds talks with US trade representative

The meeting was "a great opportunity to discuss bilateral trade relations", said Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin. Keystone-SDA

Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin held initial talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on trade relations and tariffs on Monday via video conference. Discussions will continue, he announced on the social network X.

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The meeting was “a great opportunity to discuss bilateral trade relations”, said Parmelin.

The talks took place as Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda continued technical discussions with US officials in Washington. She has been present since Sunday and will stay there until Wednesday.

‘Clear up misunderstandings’

The Swiss economics ministry and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) “are currently using all possible channels to make contact with the US authorities”, said SECO on Sunday. This position was repeated on Monday without any further details.

According to SECO, “the objective of Swiss commercial diplomacy is to explain Switzerland’s situation to our partners in the United States and to clear up any misunderstandings”. Budliger Artieda’s duties include preparing a visit by Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Parmelin.

+ US tariff shock: adding up the Swiss bill

The Swiss president meanwhile is due to discuss the consequences of the Trump administration’s tariffs for Europe with her European counterparts on Friday when she will attend an informal meeting of European economics and finance (Ecofin) ministers in Warsaw.

No direct countermeasures

Last Thursday US President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 31% on imports of Swiss goods. Under this new tariff regime, Swiss exports have been taxed by 10% since Saturday; a further 21% will be imposed from Wednesday.

+ Swiss president warns against tariff ‘alarmism’

The Swiss government says it is disappointed by this decision but indicated that it was not planning any direct countermeasures for the time being. This cautious stance has been criticised by some Swiss political parties and business representatives.

The Valais Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIV) believes that “the US government’s recent decisions on customs duties have a direct impact on Swiss export-oriented companies”. It has decided to take an active stance and on Monday posted a number of documents on its website to help its members better understand the current crisis.

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Translated from French by DeepL/sb

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