GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s president and other top officials were traveling to Washington on Tuesday in a hastily arranged trip aimed at striking a deal with the Trump administration over steep tariffs that have cast a pall over Swiss industries like chocolates and watchmaking.
President Karin Keller-Sutter was leading a delegation to the United States capital after last week’s announcement that exports of Swiss goods to the U.S. will face a whopping 39% percent tariff starting Thursday.
That is over 2 1/2 times higher than the rate on European Union goods exported to the U.S. and nearly four times higher than on British exports to the U.S. Many Swiss companies in industries including watchmaking and chocolates have expressed concern about the issue.
The Swiss government said the trip was “to facilitate meetings with the U.S. authorities at short notice and hold talks with a view to improving the tariff situation for Switzerland.”
Keller-Sutter, who also serves as Switzerland’s finance minister, has faced criticism in Swiss media over a last-ditch call with President Donald Trump before a U.S. deadline on tariffs expired Aug. 1. She was leading a team that includes Economy Minister Guy Parmelin.
The trip comes a day after Switzerland’s executive branch held an extraordinary meeting Monday during which it was “keen to pursue talks with the United States on the tariff situation,” the government statement Tuesday said.