Tariff dispute with Trump Vice speaker of the German Bundestag is in favor of "turbo membership" of Switzerland in the EU
Switzerland is being hit hard by higher US tariffs. Should it now bind itself more closely to the European Union? A German MP is making a proposal.
16.08.2025, 04:52
16.08.2025, 05:24
dpa
The Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Omid Nouripour, is bringing Switzerland's membership of the European Union into play against the backdrop of the customs conflict with the USA.
The Green politician told the German Press Agency (dpa): "The federal government should offer Switzerland the opportunity to quickly deepen cooperation, right up to a turbo membership of Switzerland in the EU."
Nouripour continued: "If our Swiss friends want to move closer to the European Union in these new times, Germany should actively support this."
US President Donald Trump has imposed a 39 percent tariff on imports from Switzerland, which has been in force since August 7. A tariff of 15 percent applies to most products from the EU. Swiss business associations had spoken of a horror scenario, with tens of thousands of jobs at risk. The country with a population of nine million lives from exports, the USA is the most important market with an 18 percent share last year.
Nouripour: Smaller states vulnerable
"For centuries, the Swiss have cultivated a tradition of strict neutrality," said Nouripour. "However, the recent tariff dispute with Donald Trump painfully shows how vulnerable smaller states are when they are left to their own devices. Politically neutral, economically global - that is no longer possible in the new age." Not in a world in which reliable rules are increasingly threatened by the law of the jungle.
"Switzerland may be rich, but it is also at the mercy of the arbitrary play of the big players. The EU may not be the best choice from a Swiss perspective, but it is far more reliable." The Swiss would undoubtedly be an asset to the EU, but the EU also has a lot to offer Switzerland in times of necessary cohesion.
Social Democrat also open
Markus Töns, European policy spokesman for the Social Democratic SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, had previously expressed his openness to Switzerland becoming the 28th member of the European Union. "If Switzerland applies to join the EU, it would be very welcome," Töns told Der Spiegel.
Switzerland's position
In Switzerland, however, joining the EU has no chance. There are business associations and some left-of-center MPs who are calling for faster rapprochement with the EU. But the party with the most voters, the right-wing SVP, is strictly against it. It even calls the package for a new basis for bilateral relations, which has been painstakingly negotiated for years, a "treaty of submission". It is campaigning for a rejection if the package is put to a referendum in 2027.
"Joining the EU is not being seriously discussed in Switzerland, as polls show an overwhelming majority is against it," reported swissinfo.ch, the international online portal of the SRG media house with a public service mandate, at the beginning of August.
In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis emphasized the need for agreements with the EU. The aim is to secure trade and guarantee stability, the Federal Councillor said in an interview with "Le Temps " on Saturday. He also said that relations with the USA remain important, but that Switzerland has no friends, only interests.
