ZURICH: A clear majority of Swiss residents are critical of a preliminary trade deal struck with Washington, a poll showed on Wednesday, citing elements such as the entry of US chicken and the free flow of data to the United States.
The deal, struck in mid-November, will cut the tariffs Switzerland faces from 39 percent to 15 percent, but nearly 7 in 10 Swiss residents surveyed said they opposed, or were inclined to oppose, the deal.
If a referendum were held today, 45 percent of respondents would vote against the deal and 24 percent were likely to oppose it, a poll by Sotomo, published by newspaper Blick, found.
“The clarity of the rejection is remarkable,” Sotomo chief Michael Hermann told Blick. “The Swiss have a deep aversion to the powerful fully asserting their power.”
Swiss voters were most critical of the idea that Switzerland would no longer restrict data flows to the US, with 80% of respondents saying such a concession went too far.
The framework agreement includes a provision to explore mechanisms that promote interoperability between Swiss and US privacy frameworks “with a view to facilitating secure cross-border transfers of data.”
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