In a hard-hitting editorial in the Blick newspaper this morning – it calls Trump an ‘angry old man’ - the paper says the Federal Council has to face the issue of world trade with clarity and courage – but admits it has a tough job ahead.
It first tackles the US claim that Switzerland has a 61% tariff on US goods. The Blick asked an expert in Bern on where that number came from, they said they had no idea and called the number ‘madness’.
Officially, the government brought out a statement which says it doesn’t understand the US calculations.
The paper says Switzerland has a fundamental problem with Trump as it faces the world with consensus-orientated and sober analysis – the direct opposite approach taken by the US.
It also asks if it’s time Switzerland moves far closer to the EU – but the bloc also seems to be split.
It concludes that a small country like Switzerland has no choice but to have a clear position otherwise it could be crushed.
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