Helene Budliger does not believe that the Supreme Court ruling will change much.Image: keystone
State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda has urged patience in view of the latest developments in the US customs dispute.
02/22/2026, 09:2702/22/2026, 09:27
“It cannot be ruled out that the US administration could introduce further tariffs with a new decree,” she told “Sonntagsblick”.
The Seco State Secretary continued that a lot is still unclear at the moment. You’ll have to be patient for a few days. However, they were prepared for all scenarios and assumed that the tariffs would remain in place one way or another. The USA has publicly communicated that there are other legal options, such as Section 232 on national security or Section 301 on unfair trading practices.
“I guess we have to come to terms with the US tariffs.”
With the latest announcement from US President Donald Trump, a temporary additional tariff of 15 percent is to be introduced. In doing so, Trump is exhausting the maximum limit of a 1974 trade law, which he invokes and which allows tariffs for up to 150 days. According to Budliger Artieda, it is currently being clarified whether Swiss imported goods will also be affected, which would previously have been below the percentage of 15. In any case, it depends on the category of goods and it can change again.
Challenges, but also opportunities
According to the Seco State Secretary, the changed initial situation could offer opportunities as well as challenges. “The main goal remains to secure jobs and the production location in Switzerland and to guarantee our companies the best possible access to the important US market,” she said.
Trump has other options
However, with an increase to 15 percent, around 20 percent would be incurred for industrial products. Because Seco assumes that the new percentages will be added to those that applied before April 2025 – and that was 5 percent for many industrial products. If that were to come true, the tariffs would be above the upper limit that was agreed in November, reports NZZ on Sunday. After all, the 15 percent is initially valid for 150 days, after which Trump would need congressional approval.
At the same time, Trump still has other options. For example, he can impose tariffs on goods that threaten US national security – he has already done this on steel and aluminum. At the same time, he can initiate an investigation into a country’s inappropriate and discriminatory trade practices without obtaining congressional approval, reports the NZZ am Sonntag.
Parts of the punitive tariffs are unlawful
On Friday, the US Supreme Court declared numerous tariffs imposed by Trump under the IEEPA emergency law to be unlawful. The government acted unlawfully when it introduced tariffs against dozens of trading partners under the 1977 law. Among other things, the so-called reciprocal tariffs and surcharges in connection with fentanyl are affected.
However, the ruling does not cover product-related tariffs, for example on steel, aluminum or cars, which are based on a different legal basis. (vro/sda)