Customs talks are moving forward Parmelin in Washington: "We were able to clarify almost everything"

Is the customs deal with the USA about to be finalized? Parmelin reports "very good" talks, while Donald Trump is apparently planning to come to Davos next year with a large entourage.

Keystone-SDA

14.11.2025, 05:31

14.11.2025, 07:07

SDA

There is renewed movement in the customs talks between Switzerland and the USA: a delegation led by Economics Minister Guy Parmelin met for talks with the US administration in Washington on Thursday afternoon (US East Coast time).

According to the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, Guy Parmelin said after the talks :"We were able to clarify almost everything." It was a "very good conversation". The Federal Councillor did not make any other comments and left in the evening (local time).

According to the US, Parmelin only appeared briefly before the media for scheduling reasons. A US official involved in the talks also spoke of a "very positive" meeting, as reported by the AFP news agency. According to this anonymous source, the Swiss were "very aware of the need to reduce trade imbalances". Corresponding plans had been presented, the official added, suggesting that tariffs on Swiss products could be lowered.

Is the big customs agreement coming?Parmelin in Washington - what you need to know now

Washington to Bern: lower tariffs on certain US products

Washington expects Bern to lower certain tariffs on US products and to reduce non-tariff trade barriers, such as regulations that could make market access more difficult for goods from the USA.

Markus Spörndli, spokesman for the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER), considered it "unlikely" that the negotiations would be concluded.

That same evening, the US business news agency Bloomberg reported that US President Donald Trump wanted to attend the WEF in Davos. It referred to people familiar with the matter. No confirmation was initially possible.

According to Bloomberg, Trump plans to arrive with a large entourage. The plans are said to be a result of improved relations following progress in the tariff negotiations. The WEF had already confirmed the invitation to the US President in advance. However, the list of participants will only be announced a week before the start.

Several meetings since the tariff announcement

This is not the first time since the announcement of the US tariffs that Switzerland has negotiated with US government representatives. Shortly before the 39% tariffs came into force in August, Parmelin and President Karin Keller-Sutter traveled to Washington.

However, a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not produce any direct results at the time. In September, Parmelin again traveled to the USA at short notice and held talks at ministerial level. On November 7, it was then reported that the Swiss Minister of Economic Affairs had again exchanged views with US Trade Representative Greer. The talks were "constructive".

Confederation keeping a low profile for the time being

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, who represented Parmelin at the World Cheese Awards in Bern, was pleased that the Minister of Economic Affairs was able to hold further talks in connection with the customs negotiations. However, he could "not say anything at the moment" about any expectations, as he told a reporter from Keystone-SDA on site.

"I believe it is important that the talks continue and this also shows that the Swiss government is taking the negotiations very seriously and is trying to make them a success," Rösti continued. Where we stand in the negotiations is a matter for the Federal Council.

With regard to Swiss cheese exports, Rösti said he hoped that a better customs situation would be negotiated for producers. The Federal Council is aware of the importance of exports. Swiss cheese exports to the USA fell by 17 percent between January and September compared to the same period last year, said Martin Spahr from Switzerland Cheese Marketing in an interview with Keystone-SDA.

Reduction of the customs tariff to 15 percent?

Most recently, the Bloomberg news agency reported on Monday that Switzerland was close to a deal with the USA in the customs dispute. The negotiations between the two countries are said to be nearing an agreement. This could be reached in the coming days and weeks.

The agreement includes a reduction in the current US tariff on imports of numerous Swiss goods to 15 percent, Bloomberg wrote.

The watchmaking, medical, machinery, electrical and metal industries in particular are likely to benefit from lower tariffs, as UBS recently stated in response to an inquiry from the news agency AWP. According to the Luzerner Kantonalbank, the reduction in tariffs will also eliminate the competitive disadvantage for the affected sectors, especially compared to EU competitors.