{
  "id": 11374142,
  "title": "DIE NEUESTEN ENTWICKLUNGEN - Zollverhandlungen Schweiz – USA: Donald Trump greift die Schweiz erneut an und sagt: «Ich will nicht 40 Milliarden Dollar im Jahr verlieren für eure Uhren»",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/die-neuesten-entwicklungen-zollverhandlungen-schweiz-usa-donald-trump",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T06:27:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
    "slug": "nzz-wirtschaft",
    "url": "https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/zollschock-fuer-die-schweiz-antworten-auf-die-wichtigsten-fragen-ld.1896220"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "In the latest developments surrounding the Switzerland-USA trade talks, Donald Trump has once again targeted Switzerland, stating, \"I don't want to lose $40 billion a year for your watches.\" After reaching an agreement on tariffs in November, negotiations for a definitive agreement are still ongoing. In February, the Supreme Court declared Trump's tariffs unlawful. Following a temporary solution, the US has imposed tariffs based on a new legal foundation. Since July 24, the US has applied a 12.5 percent tariff on most Swiss goods, with some industries, such as steel and aluminum, having separate rules. Pharmaceuticals, however, are exempted. This replaces a temporary global tariff of 10 percent that Trump imposed in February 2026, which was deemed illegal by the US Supreme Court. Trump's tariff announcements have exceeded his authority, as he invoked a wartime law to issue such decrees. The legal basis for these tariffs was thus invalidated. However, Trump responded with a transitional tariff of 10 percent, which had to be lifted after 150 days. Until July 24, 2026, the US needed to replace its tariff regime. The trade representative, Jamieson Greer, initiated two investigations, both including Switzerland. Greer proposed new tariffs of 10 percent for countries forbidding or planning to ban imports of products from forced labor, and 12.5 percent for all others, including Switzerland. The US justified the tariffs by claiming Switzerland does too little to combat goods from forced labor. In August 2025, the Swiss reached a tariff shock with the US. Unable to find a solution in the trade dispute, Trump surprised Switzerland with a 39 percent tariff shortly after a phone call with President Karin Keller-Sutter. Switzerland immediately signaled its willingness to negotiate and waived retaliatory tariffs. Three months later, a breakthrough was achieved: a Swiss delegation led by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin held talks with US government representatives in Washington. On the same day, the new deal was presented. The Swiss and US negotiating teams agreed to reduce the additional US tariff on Swiss imports from 39 to 15 percent. They agreed to this in an informal memorandum of understanding. The agreement took effect retroactively on November 15, 2025. The Supreme Court's declaration in February 2026 invalidated Trump's tariffs on Swiss goods, including the 15 percent additional tariff. The deal with the US was the result of cooperation between Swiss business and politics. Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter played a minor role in the final stages. The core element is the promise that Swiss companies will invest 200 billion dollars in the US by the end of 2028. This will be facilitated by a list of investment commitments submitted by Switzerland to the US. The largest portion, according to the federal government, will come from the pharmaceutical sector. A precise list of planned investments was not publicly disclosed, only some projects are known. The White House stated that among the \"at least\" 200 billion dollars, 67 billion would be invested in 2026. Additionally, Switzerland committed to achieving trade balance with the US, a promise not explicitly communicated by Switzerland. Apart from investments, Switzerland also offers lower tariffs on various US products, such as fish, seafood, and other agricultural products. This is particularly notable given Switzerland's high tariff protection for its agricultural industry. Switzerland has been negotiating with the US for months on a tariff agreement, which is based on the November 2025 memorandum of understanding. The goal of the negotiations is a trade agreement that ensures long-term, discrimination-free access to the American market for Swiss companies. However, the final agreement is still pending. Federal President Guy Parmelin visited the US from June 29 to July 9 to discuss tariffs and possible exemptions or facilitations with Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. While Greer expressed positive sentiments towards Switzerland, no promises regarding the agreement were made. The US tariffs on most Swiss exports were significantly higher than those for EU states (15 percent) or Canada (35 percent). Only Laos, Myanmar, Syria, India, and Brazil received higher tariffs. Trump justified the move by the US trade deficit with Switzerland, which stood at around 39 billion francs (48 billion dollars) in 2024. This deficit has since improved. As of June 2025, the US had lower tariffs on other countries, including Laos, Myanmar, Syria, India, and Brazil.",
  "summary": "Die Schweiz hat im November eine Zolleinigung mit den USA erreicht, die Verhandlungen für ein definitives Abkommen laufen aber noch. Im Februar erklärte der Supreme Court Trumps Zölle für unrechtmässig. Nach einer Zwischenlösung haben die USA nun Zölle auf einer neuen Gesetzesgrundlage verhängt.",
  "key_points": [
    "Donald Trump threatens $40 billion annual loss for Swiss watches",
    "Supreme Court invalidates Trump's 2026 tariffs on Swiss goods",
    "Switzerland commits to $200 billion US investments by end of 2028"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The US tariffs on Swiss goods, justified by Switzerland's perceived inaction on combating forced labor, mark a shift in trade dynamics, putting pressure on Switzerland to adjust its policies and investment strategies.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}