The United States has imposed customs duties of 39% on Swiss exports, much higher than for other countries. This decision, which entered into force on August 7, worries the Swiss industry. But why is a small country like Switzerland in the viewfinder of the Trump administration?
Switzerland faces particularly high American customs duties of 39% on its exports, against only 15% for the European Union or Liechtenstein. A difficult decision to understand for Cédric Dupont, professor of international relations at the Institute of Advanced International Studies and Development (IHEID) in Geneva: “No economic reality justifies this 39%customs right. It is probably a mood movement of Trump for reasons that still escape us.”
Switzerland has much to offer
According to the expert, the American president suspects Switzerland to “cheat” because of his trade surplus with the United States. Trump also seeks to repatriate production on American soil by heavily taxing imports.
But Switzerland’s room for maneuver seems limited, according to Cédric Dupont. According to him, the Confederation should wait until Trump realizes that there is “not much more to hope for the commercial level”.
Will these taxes permanently weaken Swiss competitiveness?
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Jessica Vial and the Point J team
