Donald Trump and his tariffs: A never-ending story.Image: keystone
February 25, 2026, 2:38 p.mFeb 25, 2026, 3:04 p.m
The Federal Council wants to remain in discussions with Washington even after the US Supreme Court’s decision on import tariffs. According to Federal President and Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, negotiations will continue in the coming weeks.
A first round of negotiations has already taken place in Switzerland, Parmelin told the media in Bern on Wednesday. On the same day, the state government took note of the US Supreme Court’s decision of February 20th, as the Federal Council wrote in a communiqué.
The judicial decision provided for the lifting of the country-specific additional tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Trump then introduced new additional tariffs of ten percent on a different legal basis. According to the Federal Council’s communiqué, the new additional tariffs have been in effect since Tuesday and are intended to be applied in addition to the existing MFN tariffs.
In November, Bern and Washington agreed that tariffs levied by the USA should not exceed 15 percent. In order to legally consolidate the political agreement, a legally binding agreement should be negotiated.
Federal Council wants stable economic relations
The new tariffs should be valid for 150 days. The US government has announced that it will prepare trade policy measures based on other legal bases. At the same time, it has signaled that existing trade agreements – such as those with Switzerland – will be respected when implemented, as the Federal Council further wrote.
The aim of the ongoing negotiations remains to ensure stable conditions on the US market for the Swiss economy and to improve them if possible. According to the communiqué, the Federal Council will analyze further developments and impacts and discuss them at one of the next meetings. (pre/sda)