Top Swiss officials are in the US in an attempt to avert trade tariffs; fewer Swiss are visiting the United States due to Trump’s policies; and more news in our Thursday roundup.
Top Swiss officials are in the US to avert trade tariffs
President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economy Minister Guy Parmelin arrived in Washington on Wednesday to persuade the US administration to scrap the 31-percent tariffs — significantly higher than those levied on the European Union (10 percent) — that Donald Trump had imposed on Swiss exports at the beginning of April, before he temporarily suspended them.
During the three-day visit, the Swiss delegation will highlight Switzerland’s substantial investments in the United States, including $50 billion recently pledged by the pharmaceutical giant Roche, which will create 12,000 jobs in the United States, in addition to $23 billion earmarked by Novartis for the US market.
READ ALSO: What impact will Trump’s hefty tariffs have on Switzerland?
And on a related subject…
Swiss tourists are shunning the United States
Soon after the US president took office in January 2025 and launched his global trade war, the number of Swiss tourists visiting America fell substantially.
According to the International Trade Administration, as related by public broadcaster RTS, in the three-month period between January 1st and March 31st, 20 percent less people from Switzerland visited the USA than during the same period in 2024.
While 60,883 tourists from Switzerland arrived in the United States between January 1st and March 31, 2024, this year the number dropped to 48,712.
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Grand St. Bernard Pass (A21): Repair work has begun
The avalanche that broke out on April 17th near the Toules tunnel, on the Swiss side of the Grand-Saint-Bernard road, has closed this section of the road to all traffic.
On Wednesday, “the necessary equipment was delivered to the site, and repair work began, the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) announced.
It added, however, “that due to the depth of the snowpack, the risk of falling rocks and boulders on the avalanche slope cannot yet be definitively assessed. Therefore, it is not yet possible to set a reopening date.”
Once the road is reopened, alternating traffic on one lane, regulated by the installation of light signals, will be implemented on the affected section, which will free up space for further work in the tunnel.
On the Swiss side of the tunnel, the A21 is open to local traffic between Martigny and Bourg-St-Pierre (VS).
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Switzerland plans to establish a national debt register
The current system allows debtors to conceal their debts when moving from one canton to another.
Therefore, the National Council is expected to vote in favour of the centralised database during the summer session of the parliament to take place from June 2nd to June 20th.
The goal of this measure (if approved) is to end these practices by allowing all those needing to check an individual’s or company’s financial standing — for instance, lending institutions or landlords — to access the national registry.
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