Federal President Guy Parmelin (left) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday in the Berlin Chancellery.Image: keystone
The EU’s steel tariffs are also an issue during the Federal President’s visit to Germany. However, Guy Parmelin seems to have little understanding from his host.
May 19, 2026, 5:48 p.mMay 19, 2026, 5:48 p.m
Hansjörg Friedrich Müller, Berlin / ch media
When asked, he stated that he understood Switzerland, especially since low tariffs were in the interest of both sides. But the talks with Washington would now be a priority and could hopefully be completed by July 4th, as the American president wanted. Trump loves Parmelin, that could be the (admittedly not entirely surprising) conclusion from the Federal President’s visit to Berlin. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
It was no different on Tuesday when Federal President Guy Parmelin visited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The puck for the jovial opening was, so to speak, at the kick-off point: Merz congratulated to the victory over the Germans that the Swiss national ice hockey team had achieved the evening before. His guest replied in a gentlemanly manner that he did not want to delve into the topic any further.
Direct democracy as a factor of uncertainty
After praising each other to the best of their ability – including for the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the ETH campus in Heilbronn, Württemberg, which is due to open soon – the question and answer session followed. A German journalist wanted to know whether Parmelin feared the end of the free movement of people if his compatriots agreed to the 10 million initiative on June 14th.
If the answer is yes, nothing will change legally at all, the Federal President replied. And there could be another referendum on the law that the Federal Council would then have to develop. When it comes to the Swiss military budget, which many European countries believe is too low, Parmelin also referred to the electorate: In order to increase the VAT to better finance the army, a majority is needed.
Direct democracy as a constant factor of uncertainty: Merz has no such worries. He may have even bigger ones. His poll numbers are in the basement and he faces further difficult talks with his social democratic coalition partner. And all of this as if the world situation wasn’t already complicated enough.
Merz thinks more of Washington than Bern
Perhaps this also explains the fact that what is probably the most important concern of his Swiss guest hardly seems to move the German Chancellor: Parmelin had already complained before his flight to Berlin that the EU wanted to increase tariffs on Swiss steel products from 25 to 50 percent from July 1st was “unacceptable”. In the Chancellery he renewed his criticism of Brussels.
Merz’s answer to the question of whether Bern could expect support from Berlin in this matter raised doubts as to whether he was particularly interested in the topic: the Chancellor spoke somewhat nebulously of “intensive discussions” in which an agreement would hopefully be reached soon – with the USA.
When asked, he stated that he understood Switzerland, especially since low tariffs were in the interest of both sides. But the talks with Washington would now be a priority and could hopefully be completed by July 4th, as the American president wanted. Trump loves Parmelin, that could be the (admittedly not entirely surprising) conclusion from the Federal President’s visit to Berlin. (aargauerzeitung.ch)