Former US Vice President Mike Pence was a speaker at the Swiss Economic Forum, held in the Swiss mountain resort of Interlaken this week.
Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Former US Vice President Mike Pence has spoken in favour of a free-trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Switzerland. The idea of reviving FTA talks has been rumbling on for several years.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
“If the Trump administration had been able to stay for another four years, this free-trade deal could have been concluded,” Pence told the Swiss Economic Forum in the mountain resort of Interlaken on Thursday.
“I will continue to use my influence to see this agreement finalised.”
He said economic relations between Switzerland and the US were good and had improved under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Long-running saga
The idea of kickstarting negotiations for a free-trade agreement with the US has been around for several years. But efforts to revive an FTA, following the collapse of a previous attempt in 2006, have so far made very slow progress.
Former Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann first mooted the idea of reviving FTA talks in 2018. But initial efforts yielded little joy.
“The new administration around Joe Biden will certainly have to deal with other problems first,” he said. “Had Donald Trump been given a second term as US president, Switzerland might have had a slightly better chance for a free-trade agreement,” he said.
The US is Switzerland’s second-biggest trading partner after the European Union.
One person consumes 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity
This content was published on
On average, the Swiss consume 4.8 megawatt hours of electricity per year. According to Velobiz.de, this is roughly equivalent to the amount generated by all 176 cyclists in the Tour de France during the entire race.
Outgoing ICRC chief in Ukraine defends neutrality amid war
This content was published on
Swiss national Jürg Eglin, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, reflects on his tenure.
Green party leader criticises government’s neo-liberal policy
This content was published on
The Green Party delegates' meeting opened on Saturday morning in Vicques (JU) with a speech by party president Lisa Mazzone. Mazzone took particular aim at the Federal Council's policy towards the United States.
Working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Bern shows that working on Sundays is detrimental to well-being and particularly affects women.
Safra Sarasin private bank and former asset manager sentenced
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has fined private bank J. Safra Sarasin CHF3.5 million for aggravated money laundering. A former bank employee received a six-month suspended prison sentence.
JPMorgan to pay CHF270 million to settle 1MDB claims
This content was published on
JPMorgan Chase has agreed to pay CHF270 million to the Malaysian government to settle all issues related to its role in the 1MDB financial scandal.
Famine confirmed in Gaza for first time, says UN-backed report
This content was published on
Famine has been declared in a northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system.
Zurich Airport ground handling staff to strike on Friday
This content was published on
Ground handling staff at Zurich Airport have announced a strike for Friday afternoon. According to a union, 200 jobs are at risk.
This content was published on
Philippe Lazzarini will step down as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at the end of his term in March, he announced on Thursday.
This content was published on
Edward McMullen, the United States ambassador to Switzerland, has said farewell to the country, SonntagsBlick has reported.
Free trade deals save Switzerland billions, study finds
This content was published on
Swiss consumers and importers saved billions of francs in 2018 thanks to lower customs duties as part of free trade deals.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.