Agency Report –
Swiss entry into the European Union is not on the agenda, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday, as he hosted Swiss President Katrin Keller-Sutter in Berlin.
However, he spoke in favour of showing a united front in response to US President Donald Trump’s confrontational trade agenda, with higher tariffs being imposed on non-EU member Switzerland than on the 27-country bloc.
The relationship between the EU and Switzerland should be “as close as possible,” Merz said, while refusing to be drawn on whether the country should become the EU’s 28th member.
Germany’s relations with its southern neighbour are excellent, he added.
Keller-Sutter meanwhile underlined that neutrality is deeply anchored in the Swiss population, describing the principle as “a characteristic of the Swiss people’s identity.”
In times when stability and legal certainties can no longer be taken for granted, she said it is important to meet like-minded partners in favour of a rules-based and values-based order.
The question of Swiss EU membership was recently raised by leading German lawmakers after US President Donald Trump’s administration slapped exorbitant tariffs of 39% on imports from the Alpine nation – far higher than the 15% duty that the EU has agreed to pay.
Swiss business associations have warned the toll could put tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
Merz acknowledged the effects of the US tariffs on Switzerland, calling it “all the more reason for us in Europe to move closer together.”
He warned that the EU is still facing 50% tariffs on sectors such as steel and aluminium, saying that Brussels is trying to resolve the dispute.
“And of course I am happy to include Switzerland here too,” he added. “It is part of the European Economic Area and in this respect we also have common interests here, which we represent together.”
