Federal Council creates crisis staff and appoints special envoys

The Federal Council responds to the Donald Trump customs hammer with a new organization. An SVP man becomes a US specialist and is supposed to smooth the waves.

31 percent: The US criminal offense on Swiss goods led to an evil awakening at the Federal Council. « Disappointed », Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter showed herself after Donald Trump’s announcement last week. Disappointed, SP-Co President Mattea Meyer mocked in an interview with the Tamedia newspapers on Wednesday, « if you didn’t expect it, if you didn’t see it ».

Federal Council without haphazard, so?

Minister of Economics Guy Parmelin has now been able to make calls to the US trade officer Jamieson Greer. It was the first contact of a Federal Council with a representative of the Trump government. The content of the conversation was agreed. After all, so much: you stay in conversation. This is called silent diplomacy in Bundesbern.

The State Secretary for Economy, Helene Budliger, also tries this in Washington. She has been there since Sunday. She « uses all channels to get in touch with the US authorities, » said her media office. The State Secretary had various discussions until Wednesday « to explain the situation in Switzerland to our partners in the United States and to clear up possible misunderstandings ».

Hopes rest on the spring meeting of IMF and World Bank

She should also prepare the visit of Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Federal President Karin Keller-Sutter in Washington. The two will take part in the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on April 23. The expectations of this trip within the Federal Council are great. The preparations aim to ensure that Parmelin and Keller-Sutter can meet representatives from the innermost compass of Trump.

How successfully Budliger’s journey of USA was is open. She had no time to answer media inquiries.

However, the Federal Council has now realized that it has to re -establish the team – to become more powerful. Although there has been an interdepartmental working group for a long time – but this is very, very large, complaining. That is why the Federal Council decided on Wednesday to build a « control structure ». He has used a « project organization to control relationships between Switzerland and the USA. » Contacts with the USA should be intensified in order to find solutions for open questions, especially in the areas of trade, economy and finance.