Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss want to restart free trade deal talks with the US

US bunting
The Swiss agricultural sector has resisted attempts at negotiating a free deal with the US. Keystone

Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann believes that it is possible to negotiate a free trade agreement with the US. He wants to resume discussions that faltered over a decade ago. 

“We are investigating whether it is possible to resume discussions, which we had already tried in 2006,” said Schneider-Ammann on Swiss public radio, SRF after Sunday’s “no” vote for initiatives calling for more equitable and environmentally friendly agriculture

The economics minister said that Switzerland had learned from the failed 2006 discussions and would be more cautious in exploring solutions necessary for a free trade deal between the countries. He added that a negotiating mandate would be submitted “sooner or later” to the parliament’s foreign policy committees. 

The US market is the biggest one for Switzerland after the European Union. According to Schneider-Ammann, free access to this market without customs duties would be very attractive for the Swiss economy, as long as the competition doesn’t have the same status. 

At the end of August, the US Ambassador to Switzerland, Edward McMullen, encouraged Switzerland to enter into new trade talks with his country. A free trade agreement would be a good thing, he said to the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. But it is up to Switzerland to take the first step, he added. 

Attempts to negotiate a free trade deal between the two countries had been suspended mainly because of the resistance from the Swiss agricultural sector.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR