Swiss reactions to Trump's trade strike SVP representative Matter believes US tariffs were miscalculated
Donald Trump's tariff hammer is also hitting Switzerland. Local politicians and associations are identifying mistakes, warning of economic damage - and calling for closer partnerships with the EU.
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- Representatives from Swiss politics and business have reacted to the US tariffs.
- SVP National Councillor Thomas Matter, for example, suspects a miscalculation.
- GLP President Jürg Grossen is calling for a strengthening of relations with the EU in response.
US President Donald Trump is imposing global tariffs - including a 31% surcharge on Swiss exports. The move triggers fierce international criticism. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for example, announced countermeasures. Reactions in Switzerland have also been strong.
Zurich SVP National Councillor Thomas Matter, for example, believes there has been a miscalculation. He believes that incorrect data is behind Trump's statement on Switzerland's tariffs. Matter told the Keystone-SDA news agency that Switzerland must now pull out all the stops to get this data corrected quickly.
Matter had been in indirect contact with a former US ambassador to Switzerland on this matter. Apparently, the statements made by US President Donald Trump were based on an incorrect set of data from a business news agency.
Farmers' association is "astonished"
The Swiss Farmers' Union is "astonished" by the statements made by US President Donald Trump. The association said on request.
Overall, the USA benefits greatly from trade with Switzerland and benefits from duty-free market access for industrial products. In its statement on Thursday, the farmers' association writes that the majority of agricultural and food products in the USA are also subject to no or very low tariffs.
"Only the sensitive products of Swiss agriculture are subject to high tariffs outside the WTO quotas. These are necessary to maintain domestic production in view of the very large cost differences in requirements," the association writes. The USA has access to the Swiss food market.
"Annoying, but no drama"
"The US tariffs are annoying for the Swiss export industry. But dramatization is inappropriate", says Daniel Lampart, Chief Economist of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB).
The effects of the introduction of US tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018 are now well researched, writes Lampart in a blog post on the SGB website on Thursday. The research on these 20 percent tariffs shows that the latter were largely paid for by the US.
Swiss companies have a much better market position than Chinese exporters in 2018 with the US tariffs now looming, Lampart continues. More than 50 percent of Swiss exports to the USA come from the pharmaceutical/chemical sector, for example.
"Sloppy work"
In the opinion of BAK chief economist Claude Maurer, the Trump administration's explanations are "astonishingly unclear", as he said in an interview with the news agency AWP. "We would say: 'sloppy work'."
But that is part of Trump's concept. In this context, Maurer speaks of a "shock and awe" maneuver - in other words, chaos as a strategy. The question of whether pharmaceutical products that are important for Switzerland are really completely exempt from Trump's tariffs is causing confusion.
The trade association Scienceindustries, for example, assumes that pharmaceutical products are also covered by the blanket tariffs of 10 percent. Maurer, on the other hand, interprets Trump's statements to mean that pharmaceutical exports will be completely excluded from tariffs - at least for the time being. "But who knows what tomorrow will bring?"
GLP President Grossen pleads for bilateral agreements
"As of yesterday, there are 31 new reasons for the Bilaterals III," writes GLP President Jürg Grossen on Platform X.
The 31% tariff on Swiss products announced by Trump shows how valuable reliable partnerships are, the Bernese National Councillor continues. "Let's secure these with the EU for the future. Tariffs make people poorer."
For their part, the Greens want to present demands and proposals for a sustainable and stable trade policy with the USA today. The corresponding media conference will take place on Thursday afternoon.
