USA also initiates new investigation against Switzerland after tariff slapdown
Keystone-SDA
The US government is launching probes into numerous trade partners, including Switzerland, after US President Trump’s tariff policy faced legal setbacks. The issue is whether structural overcapacity in manufacturing sectors in these countries is putting the US economy at a disadvantage.
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This content was published on
March 12, 2026 – 09:01
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In addition to Switzerland, the European Union, Norway, China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, India and several other Asian countries are also being scrutinised. This was announced by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The investigation is based on a section of a 1974 trade law, which the US has used in the past to impose punitive tariffs on China, for example.
In February, the US Supreme Court prohibited Trump from using another law to impose tariffs by decree. Since the start of his second term in office in January 2025, he had bypassed the US Congress to impose tariffs on imports from dozens of trading partners. Following the Supreme Court judgement, Trump announced his intention to use other instruments to enforce his tariff policy.
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‘We’ll have to live with US tariffs,’ warns SECO head
This content was published on
Feb 22, 2026
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is calling for patience after the US Supreme Court ruled that some of the US tariffs were illegal.
Read more: ‘We’ll have to live with US tariffs,’ warns SECO head
He also announced in late February that he would introduce a 10% global rate following the Supreme Court ruling. This across-the-board additional tariff is being levied on all trading partners for 150 days.
Meanwhile, Switzerland is currently negotiating an agreement with the US to secure a 15% tariff rate applied since November. Bern had previously managed to obtain this temporary reduction from the 39% rate Trump had initially sought to impose.
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Translated from German by AI/jdp
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