Overview
- On August 16, Bundestag vice president Omid Nouripour proposed a ‘turbo’ EU accession to deepen German-Swiss cooperation and shield Switzerland from future trade coercion.
- The United States applied a 39 percent tariff on Swiss imports on August 7, significantly higher than the 15 percent rate on most EU goods.
- Swiss industry associations cautioned that the tariff could imperil tens of thousands of jobs, with the US accounting for about 18 percent of Swiss exports last year.
- SPD European policy spokesman Markus Töns said Switzerland would be “heartily welcome” to apply for EU membership, signaling cross-party German support.
- Strong resistance from the Swiss People’s Party and polls showing a majority against EU membership make any formal Swiss application unlikely.