Swiss free trade deal with Indonesia narrowly survives referendum
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Voters in Switzerland have given the green light to a free trade deal with Indonesia with a small majority of 51.6%.
The vote was closer than expected after Zurich (the canton with the most voters) showed its hand last, sealing the fate of the referendum. The main pockets of resistance were the French-speaking cantons such as Geneva (where a lot of commodity firms are based) and Vaud (home of the headquarters of Swiss food giant Nestlé).
Palm oil was at the heart of the referendum on the free trade agreement between Switzerland and Indonesia. The deal aims to facilitate trade with the South-East Asian country and will now remove customs duties on Swiss exports like cheese, pharmaceutical products, and watches.