Tariff dispute rages on Trump administration attacks Migros and Coop
The Trump administration criticizes Migros and Coop for favoring domestic brands. The Swiss regulations for organic products are also being criticized. With these accusations, Donald Trump is increasing the pressure in the ongoing customs negotiations.
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- The USA criticizes Coop and Migros as an obstacle to foreign imports.
- In a report, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has described the market power of two major retailers as a "significant obstacle" to foreign products, without explicitly naming Coop and Migros, write the Tamedia newspapers.
- Despite concessions made by Switzerland, the US government still considers market access for American agricultural products to be "too limited", the report continued.
The US government under Donald Trump has criticized Switzerland for its organic regulations and the dominance of Migros and Coop in the retail sector. The Department of Commerce has therefore identified "significant barriers" to US organic imports, according to a recently published report entitled "Foreign Trade Barriers". The Tamedia newspapers in Switzerland were the first to report on this on Wednesday.
Specifically, the "strict and detailed regulations" for organic farming in Switzerland, complex certification and labeling requirements and the dominance of two large retail chains favor local brands, according to the report. However, the names of Coop and Migros are not explicitly mentioned.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) has taken note of the report, but does not comment on its content, according to a request from Tamedia newspapers.
High trade deficit
The report also cites figures on trade volumes. According to the report, the trade deficit between Switzerland and the US amounted to USD 34.3 billion in 2025 from a US perspective. It has therefore decreased by a good 10 percent compared to the previous year.
The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) came to a different conclusion in January. According to its calculations, Swiss exports to the USA excluding gold rose by 3.9 percent to 54.7 billion Swiss francs. Imports from the USA, on the other hand, fell by 5.7 percent to 13.3 billion Swiss francs. All in all, the trade surplus increased to 41.4 billion Swiss francs.
The high trade deficit was US President Trump's main argument for the high tariffs imposed on Swiss imports last year. Last November, the US and Switzerland reached an agreement in the tariff dispute, but negotiations on an agreement are still ongoing.
One of Switzerland's arguments in the customs dispute has always been that the situation is different for services than for goods. US exports are significantly higher than Swiss imports. This is now confirmed by the latest report from the Department of Commerce. There is a US surplus of 32.1 billion US dollars. It has thus increased by a good 8 percent.
