Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 20, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSwissmem urges Switzerland to finalize a US trade deal despite a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs. An initial accord cut duties from 39% to 15% as talks aim to make the agreement binding amid weaker US-bound exports.
ZURICH, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Swiss industry association Swissmem on Friday urged Switzerland to finalize a preliminary trade deal with Washington in order to create legal certainty, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Switzerland was subject to the highest U.S. tariffs in Europe when Trump imposed a 39% import duty on its exporters' products in August. In November, Bern secured an initial deal that cut the tariffs to 15%, mirroring the rate for the European Union.
Switzerland has since begun talks to formalize that agreement, which Washington has been pressing to conclude by the end of the first quarter.
Swissmem said the government would be well advised to turn that preliminary accord into a legally binding deal.
"This is because it is to be expected that the Trump administration will invoke other laws to legitimize tariffs," Swissmem said in a statement after the court's ruling.
Separately, the Swiss government said that it would analyze further developments and specific impacts of the Supreme Court decision.
Swissmem said the Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering sector posted an 18% drop in exports to the U.S. during the final quarter of last year amid the tariff hit.
(Reporting by Dave Graham, editing by Friederike Heine and Thomas Seythal)
Swiss industry group Swissmem urges Switzerland to finalize a US trade deal to ensure legal certainty despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down most Trump-era tariffs.
Swissmem expects US authorities could invoke other laws to reimpose tariffs, so a binding agreement would provide stability for exporters.
Switzerland was hit with 39% tariffs that were later reduced to 15% in a preliminary accord, and the sector reported a steep drop in US-bound exports.
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