'Switzerland Should Negotiate But Not Bend The Knee To Donald Trump'

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) US President Donald Trump has shaken Switzerland with a threat of 31% tariffs on imports. In the hope of averting this, the Swiss government has launched a charm offensive. But is this the right strategy? Guests on Swissinfo's Let's Talk webcast debated the issue. This content was published on July 4, 2025 - 17:00 6 minutes

As a correspondent at the Federal Palace for SWI swissinfo, I report on federal politics for the Swiss Abroad. After studying at the Academy of Journalism and Media at the University of Neuchâtel, my career path initially took me to various regional media, working in the editorial offices of Journal du Jura, Canal 3 and Radio Jura bernois. Since 2015, I have been working in the multilingual editorial department of SWI swissinfo, where I continue to practise my profession with passion.

• More from this auth
• French Departme

• Deutsch de ((Die USA waren uns Vorbild. Umso schwieriger ist dieser Bruch)) Read more: ((Die USA waren uns Vorbild. Umso schwieriger ist dieser Bruch)
• Français fr ((La Suisse doit négocier, mais pas se mettre à genoux devant Donald Trump)) Original Read more: ((La Suisse doit négocier, mais pas se mettre à genoux devant Donald Trump)

Trump also has his sights set on Switzerland. He has threatened to slap 31% tariffs on Swiss exports to the United States. In response, the Swiss government's executive body, the Federal Council, has launched a charm offensive. This appears to have paid off, as a declaration of intent on trade between the two countries looks set to be concluded.

Although the left wing had initially accused the Federal Council of kowtowing to Trump, Social Democrat parliamentarian Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, participating in Let's Talk, acknowledged the wisdom of seeking to negotiate lower tariffs. The politician, who is a member of the parliament's foreign policy committee, nonetheless cautioned:“President Trump always plays a power game. So we should not be too quick to bow to him.”

Daniel Cottier, meanwhile, defended the government's actions. The centre-right Radical-Liberal parliamentarian, who is also the president of the Parliamentary Association Switzerland-USAExternal link , responded:“The Federal Council does not bow to anything. It has sought dialogue with the United States in order to reach an agreement, while highlighting Switzerland's strengths in the process.”

Switzerland may nonetheless make some concessions to win over Trump. One possibility would be lifting the tax on agricultural products.“This would spell the death of Swiss agriculture,” Swiss People's Party parliamentarian Didier Calame warned during the debate. A farmer by profession, he, too, is part of the parliament's foreign policy committee.

Meanwhile, the Federal Council recently decided to delay plans to regulate social media, in a bid to ease tensions with Washington. This angered many parliamentarians, both left and right, who sent an open letterExternal link to the government under the aegis of the NGO AlgorithmWatch CH, accusing it of kowtowing“to Trump, Musk and their ilk”.

Cottier roundly refuted this interpretation.“The regulation is simply being postponed. It would have been misguided to introduce an irritant to the debate at a time when we are trying to negotiate.”

More More Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself

This content was published on Apr 10, 2025 Swiss companies, politicians and workers are scrambling to work out the true cost of punitive US tariffs.

Read more: Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itsel

MENAFN04072025000210011054ID1109762409