Head of SECO to prepare Swiss government visit to US
Helene Budliger Artieda, director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), travelled to the US on Sunday.
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Among other things, she will prepare a visit to Washington by Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, SECO said. To this end, Budliger Artieda will hold various talks at a technical level. She will remain in Washington until around Wednesday.
SECO confirmed corresponding information from the Sonntagsblick to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.
The economics ministry and SECO are currently using all channels to make contact with the US authorities.
+ US tariff shock: adding up the Swiss bill
“The aim of Swiss trade diplomacy is to explain Switzerland’s situation to our partners in the US and to clear up any misunderstandings,” SECO added.
Budliger Artieda is travelling to the US for the second time in just a few weeks. The visit comes just a few days after the US announced that it would impose tariffs of 31% on Swiss goods.
+ Switzerland’s top trade official eases tensions with US during Washington visit
As a result of the tariff package announced on Wednesday, imports from all countries into the US are now subject to a flat tariff of 10%.
On April 9, US President Donald Trump intends to impose even higher tariffs on countries with which he believes the US has a particularly large trade deficit. Imports from Switzerland would be subject to duties of 31% and imports from EU countries would be subject to duties of 20%. Pre-existing duties on imports into the US will remain in place.
The Swiss government has taken note of the US government’s tariff hikes. Switzerland faces particularly high tariffs compared to other US trading partners with a similar economic structure. pic.twitter.com/A8nHoJkxK3External link
— Swiss Federal Government (@SwissGov) April 3, 2025External link
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