‘We’ll take the time we need’ with EU negotiations, says top Swiss trade diplomat

“Time pressure is the number one trap in any negotiation,” warns Helene Budliger Artieda, head of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and Switzerland’s top trade diplomat, regarding negotiations with the European Union. SWI swissinfo.ch: Swiss emigrants like Louis Chevrolet and César Ritz once laid the foundations for iconic brands. Do you see such figures today? Helene Budliger Artieda: Yes, there are outstanding Swiss entrepreneurs all over the world, especially in small businesses. In many countries where I have lived, there has been a very successful Swiss butcher or Swiss baker. In some cases, they became very rich through new, high-quality products. In Thailand, for example, I met two young entrepreneurs who built toilet facilities. This is not necessarily what you would expect from a Swiss company, but they are very successful. In South Africa, I met ETH Zurich graduates who have created a market with innovative house construction materials that are geared to ...