US Secretary of Commerce Lutnick believes in customs deal with Switzerland
Keystone-SDA
United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick is confident about striking a customs deal with Switzerland, which is facing 39% tariffs for good exported to the US.
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“We will probably get a deal with Switzerland,” he said in an interview with the US broadcaster CNBC on Thursday.
“Switzerland will find its way over time,” Lutnick added. “We’ll see how it develops.” His comments were first reported by blick.ch.
+ How US tariffs are impacting the Swiss economy
A week ago, Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that he was not optimistic about securing a deal. Switzerland earns a lot of money in the US with its pharmaceutical products, he said after a meeting with Economics Minister Guy Parmelin.
Parmelin travelled to the US last Friday for a meeting with Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Parmelin did not initially comment on the outcome of the meeting.
Difficult negotiations
The talks were part of the second round of negotiations in the customs dispute with the US. Prior to the meeting, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the Keystone-SDA news agency that Switzerland had prepared an “optimised offer” to the US. But no details were given.
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What is a tariff? A quick guide
US President Donald Trump imposed import tariffs of 39% on numerous Swiss products at the beginning of August. A few days later, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Parmelin travelled to Washington without achieving any results.
The US tariff policy hits Switzerland particularly hard. At 39%, the rate is significantly higher than that of the EU, for example. The latter got off comparatively lightly at 15%.
Even before the 39% tariffs were announced, US ministers around Lutnick had expressed optimism about a deal with Switzerland. However, Trump rejected this.
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Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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