We can still hear it, the late Federal Councilor Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, qualifying on December 6, 1992 as “Black Sunday for Switzerland”. We want to transpose his voice on this August 7, 2025, black Thursday where, struck by 39% of customs surcharge by the United States, the country falls high and sees its economy tremble.
From the outset, we are looking for culprits, the gaze turned towards the president of the Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter. Anticipation this spring, phone calls to his unpredictable counterpart Donald Trump, improvised trip to Washington with colleague Guy Parmelin in charge of the Economy: we do not know exactly what happened. Politics, institutions, even history will do their work if necessary.
The fact remains that our country has lost. Sen, suddenly. After having been anticipatory, enterprising and reassuring about the fate of Switzerland in this case, the president fell from high Friday, August 1, the national holiday coinciding with the shock announcement of the 39%. A laconic communication between two brunches on the farm, a federal council that awaits Monday to meet in videoconference, a trip to Washington necessary but missed, even humiliating: the impression left is not good, even if we want to believe that our managers worked hard during all this time.
You have to look at the opponent as he is
Before all the economic and social consequences that we can fear, today, alive, the psychological effect is terrible. Switzerland notes its weakness and isolation on a global scale, in particular in the face of these United States, the supposed sister republic, of which the current uncle Sam has not taken care of our rich European islet. Carried by their superiority complex, made of their good quality of life, their proven ease and know-how, the Confederates did not know, or wanted to see that in the current planetary jungle, only the law of the strongest prevails. What is far from the high -retired Swiss values and style, but which have blinded us here and have maintained a form of naivety with us.
This Thursday, the press conference of the Federal Council embodied this posture. Certainly, the executive does not let go of the case. But he also sweated in helplessness. The work will be immense to digest this black Thursday and find parades, even opportunities. For this, Swiss software needs an important update. Without losing its soul, the new version of the algorithm must integrate more pragmatism and opportunism. In this case, knowing how to look at the opponent as he is, brutal, unpredictable and insensitive to the framework and the rules that have prevailed so far. The cruel reality proves that there is no choice.
A 39% tax for Switzerland: the blatant of August 2025
Our main articles on the United States decision to tax Switzerland imports at 39%:
