The foreign economic policy strategy provides mid- to long-term orientation of Swiss foreign economic policy and identifies various areas of action that fall under the priorities listed below. It shows how foreign economic policy can contribute to maintaining and increasing prosperity in Switzerland.
The foreign economic policy pursue Switzerland’s interests, prioritises multilateralism and organizes free trade in an open and regulated manner.
Switzerland defines its foreign economic policy interests on the basis of early involvement of stakeholders and empirical analyses.
Switzerland pursues its interests using a broad range of international economic law instruments. These include multilateral agreements and free trade agreements and are supported by economic diplomacy instruments. When warranted, unilateral approaches are followed.
Switzerland seeks thematic alliances with like-minded countries that have similar interests. For example, Switzerland negotiates the majority of its economic agreements within the framework of EFTA, together with Ice-land, Liechtenstein and Norway.
To ensure effective, efficient, open and administratively simple application of economic agreements, the agreements are regularly reviewed regarding their intended implementation and optimisation potential.
Global challenges should primarily be tackled through international approaches, with the priority on the multilateral approach. Through representation in numerous international organisations and alliances Switzerland can play an active part.
Switzerland supports transparent and non-discriminatory international rules that encourage competition and help deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Switzerland promotes the systematic application of the international system of rules. In particular, this includes enforcing its rights in dispute settlement procedures. The federal government is developing capacity in this regard and providing the necessary resources.
As part of its International Cooperation Strategy, Switzerland advocates effective integration of developing countries and emerging markets in the market-oriented global economy and the international rules-based system.
Switzerland advocates open, barrier-free and regulated trade. It aims to achieve a balanced outcome to negotiations with regard to interests and concessions.
Switzerland aims for a mutual comprehensive reduction of import tariffs for industrial goods, internationally coordinated, appropriate and proportionate technical regulations and improved market access for agricultural goods.
It seeks non-discriminatory access to services markets, public procurement markets, and for investment.
Switzerland strives for the easiest possible access to qualified professionals and specialists as well as a high standard for the protection of intellectual property.
Geographical priorities
As an economy strongly integrated in the global economy, gaining access to geographically diversified markets is beneficial to Switzerland and strengthens its resilience to crises. At the same time, Switzerland focuses on its key economic partners, while maintaining an independent position in the changing geopolitical environment.
Switzerland continues to pursue regulatory convergence with its most important trading part-ner, the EU. Maintaining and developing the proven bilateral approach remain central.
Switzerland continuously explores how to expand and deepen trading relations and coopera-tion with other key trading partners (such as the US, China and the UK). Switzerland conducts a systematic analysis to determine which other countries qualify as key or potential economic partners.
Switzerland strives for effective inclusion of developing countries and emerging markets in the global economy and the rules-based international system. It supports them in harnessing the opportunities of global integration.
To boost resilience, Switzerland creates well-suited framework conditions that allow economic actors to diversify geographically.
Switzerland seeks opportunities for enhanced international cooperation in the supply of critical goods. It generally refrains from government-controlled repatriation of production processes.
Integration in global markets reinforces interdependencies in the global financial and economic system. To contribute to the stability of this system, Switzerland promotes the resilience of developing countries and emerging markets.
Thematic focus areas
The thematic focus areas digitalization and sustainability are determined by trends in the foreign economic policy context. These are not new topics, but are action areas of great importance to foreign economic policy objectives.
Through its foreign economic policy, Switzerland con-tributes to sustainable development in Switzerland and its partner countries. It promotes sustainable trade and global standards for the protection of the environment, human rights and workers' rights. It also advocates corporate social responsibility.
Switzerland includes binding provisions on sustainability in its free trade agreements as a way of ensuring sustainability in its bilateral economic relations. Switzerland also promotes the guidelines on responsible business conduct for companies based in or operating in Switzerland.
Finally, it assists selected developing countries and emerging markets in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
As an important location for business and research, Switzerland advocates comprehensive in-ternational rules on digital trade and unhindered data flows.
Working with various international organisations, Switzerland seeks long-term, broad-based so-lutions for the digital economy.
As an EFTA member, Switzerland is committed to making comprehensive rules on digital commerce an integral part of trade agreements. The EFTA model chapter on e-commerce is an important instrument in this respect.
Participatory foreign economic policy
While Switzerland's external trade relations make a decisive contribution to the prosperity of the population in economic terms, formulating foreign economic policy on this basis can seem abstract. Therefore, it is important that any approach to developing Swiss foreign economic policy must be transparent and enjoy broad political support.
Switzerland pursues a transparent foreign economic policy that is accessible to stakeholders.
Regularly engaging in dialogue with stakeholders boosts transparency and helps ensure that national economic and social interests are represented.
It systematically provides information about new regulations and agreements. It also reports on its regular exchange with stakeholders.
Switzerland carefully evaluates new regulations and assesses the approaches of its key economic partners. In doing so, it gives due consideration to both the foreign economic and domestic policy implications of regula-tions. The benefits to the economy as a whole always take priority.
A number of trends have raised the public profile of foreign economic policy. However, domestic political actors tend to pursue very different and sometimes protectionist goals in this respect. This can give rise to tensions that require foreign economic policy to strike a balance between competing interests. Regulatory policy plays a key role, especially in the case of blurry lines between foreign economic and domestic policy implications.
The options, costs and benefits must be carefully analysed in each individual case; this can be done by conducting a regulatory impact assessment.
EFTA The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members, within Europe and globally.
Federal Council sets future direction for foreign economic policy
24.11.2021
Press conferences, Video accompanying the press release
24.11.2021
Related topics
Objectives and challenges of foreign economic policy
Foreign economic policy aims to secure the prosperity of the Swiss population. Thanks to its openness to the world, Switzerland has benefited greatly from its integration into the global economy.
Foreign Economic Policy Reports
The report on foreign economic policy provides an overview of important issues in Swiss foreign economic policy and places them within the context of the strategy.
Contact
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate Special Foreign Economic Service / International Economic Law Holzikofenweg 36 CH - 3003 Bern
