Swiss industrial group praises government’s US tariff initiative

President Swissmem praises Federal Council for initiative in USA Keystone-SDA

Swiss manufacturing lobby group Swissmem says it is satisfied with the government's response to the tariff war unleashed by United States President Donald Trump.

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Swissmem president Martin Hirzel is “enthusiastic” about the initiatives of ministers Karin Keller-Sutter and Guy Parmelin in the United States this week.

The president of the employers’ organisation of the metal and electrical engineering industry was today the guest on Swiss public radio station SRF.

+ Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself

Federal President Keller-Sutter apparently found the right tone during direct talks in the US. And economics minister Parmelin also played an important role, Hirzel said on the public radio airwaves.

Furthermore, the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis on his trip to Japan and China this week was very clear: “Switzerland needs all markets and is open in all directions.”

Swiss investments

If indeed, as Keller-Sutter reported, Switzerland is one of the 15 countries with which the US administration wants to negotiate tariffs first, the two federal councillors have achieved a very positive result.

Hirzel also praised the two State Secretaries Helene Budliger Artieda (economy) and Martina Hirayama (education, research and innovation), who were also in Washington.

Hirzel believes that Swiss industrial companies already active in the US should “perhaps announce their investments in this country a little more strongly” than in the past. If Switzerland could explain its dual training system in the US, as the US itself apparently wants, it would be good for Switzerland.

Hirzel does not believe that the tariffs of 31% of the value of goods, announced by Trump for various Swiss products, will actually come into force. It would be “devastating” if Switzerland faced much higher tariffs than the EU.

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Translated from Italian by DeepL/mga

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