US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, seen here during an appearance in Congress.Image: keystone
The American trade representative sharply criticizes Switzerland. And he is suggesting that President Donald Trump impose a new punitive tariff of 12.5 percent on imports.
June 3, 2026, 06:43June 3, 2026, 06:43
Big post from Washington for the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs: The American Trade Representative Jamieson Greer wants to impose a punitive tariff of 12.5 percent on goods from Switzerland – because Switzerland is not taking strong enough action against forced labor abroad. They say that this ultimately harms the American economy in a 98-page report, which was published on Wednesday night.
American manufacturers would not be able to compete with products that could be produced at a lower price thanks to forced labor. The report backs up this claim with figures on rice imports from Myanmar and tobacco imports from Malawi, which are compared to imports from the US. In any case, the actions of trading partners like Switzerland are “unacceptable,” Greer was quoted as saying.
For nearly a century, the United States has prohibited the import of goods made with forced labor. It is time for our trading partners to follow suit.
Today, Ambassador Greer determined that the acts, policies, and practices of 60 economies related to the failure to… pic.twitter.com/JWyRCDyXHL
— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep) June 3, 2026
The report does not say when the new punitive tariffs will come into force. The Trade Representative wants to give the affected countries another opportunity to express their reservations about the new punitive tariff at a hearing on July 7th. (Important from Federal Bern’s point of view: In Greer’s eyes, the European Union is doing a little better than Switzerland and should only be punished with an additional tariff of 10 percent.)
But it is likely that Greer will again ignore the arguments of US trading partners, as he did during his office’s recently concluded investigation. Greer has until the end of next month to present President Donald Trump with an alternative to the current punitive tariffs of 10 percent.
In mid-April, Switzerland officially commented on the allegations from Washington as part of the Greer investigation. Seco boss Helene Budliger Artieda rejected the trade representative’s objection that American suppliers in Switzerland were being booted out by foreign companies that used forced labor.
In recent weeks, Greer also conducted an investigation into alleged unfair trade practices that also affected Switzerland. The final report from Trump’s confidant is not yet available. (aargauerzeitung.ch)