Customs Switzerland: Switzerland after customs shock in crisis mode

Chocolate, cheese, mountains, gold, banks, shops – there is a lot with which Switzerland scores worldwide, but with US President Donald Trump the Confederates now bite on granite. He imposed 39 percent tariffs on Swiss imports. The Swiss are shaken to the mark.

Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter announced and encouraged: “Our economy has already left many storms,” she said. At the same time, she referred to the support of the federal government for the companies that have to introduce short -time work due to the elimination of orders from the USA.

There is talk of a horror scenario of tens of thousands of jobs that are in danger. If the 39 percent can no longer be shaken, the Swiss tech industry’s export business to the USA is actually “dead,” writes the association Swissmem on X. Damien Cottier, MP of the Freidemocrats, speaks of an “attack against Switzerland”.

The nine million inhabitant country lives from export, the USA is the most important market with 18 percent share last year. So far, the Swiss have done the best business worldwide. The Economic Association still rejoiced about the new export record 2024, the trade record showed a surplus of CHF 66 billion. Without the United States, however, it looks very different. What does this do with Switzerland?

Magic word neutrality

The Swiss traditionally like to cook their own soup. The magic word is neutrality. If possible, stay below the radar, not stand well with everyone, not stand out – that is the motto. In February, historian Sacha Zala said that Switzerland also hopes to be spared from punitive tariffs from this strategy.

“This can work to a certain extent,” he said in the broadcaster SRF. But it is “a false hope to think: only because – in quotes – you have well behaved, you will not be punished.”

Switzerland has been in rougher waters since the Russian war against Ukraine. It was only after some hesitation that she began to carry the European sanctions to forward to Ukraine, which has already been refused to forward allied, already bought Swiss ammunition. In the opinion of critics, Switzerland was not ambitious in the search for Russian oligarch money.

For the Swiss Social Democrats, however, it is clear where the journey should go: towards the EU. “It is high time that we give up our self -overestimation” We alone against the whole world “and go our way together with Europe,” wrote the MP in the Council of States, Franziska Roth, on Instagram. The business associations point out that the competition from the EU now has striking competitive advantages with 15 percent US tariffs.

The Economiesuisse Wirtschaftsverband is for closer cooperation with the EU: “We are surrounded by our geographical situation and therefore have a great deal of self-interest in working closely with the EU in areas relevant to us,” he writes before the US tariff has been published.

In the past, Switzerland has rejected the EU several times. As a laboriously negotiated bilateral contracts, a framework contract should be upgraded, they only negotiated in order to then wave off again on the home stretch in 2021. The strongest party, the right wing, opposes the new contract. One of its representatives in the government, Minister of Economics Guy Parmelin, recommended that companies to open up new sales markets.

Swiss self -image: the reliable nation

Federal President Keller-Sutter cuts a particularly bad figure in the disaster. In the spring she had still praised after a phone call that she had probably found access to Trump. The US President made it clear that this was a fallacy, while Keller-Sutter now flew down to Washington to a last attempt to rescue.

While the trained interpreter was still in the air, Trump tasted her in a television interview like a schoolgirl: “She just didn’t listen to it,” he said another phone call. He didn’t have time for Keller-Sutter, she had to make do with Foreign Minister Marco Rubio.

Keller-Sutter follows the self-image of Switzerland as a reliable nation, writes the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”. “But what does that bring in a world in which arbitrariness rules? What is it useful for Switzerland to be predictable when a president conjures up customs duties like rabbits?”