# Switzerland and 18 Partners Aim to Better Secure Supply Chains **Category:** Regulation | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-07-19 | **Updated:** 2026-09-12 **Tags:** Schweiz, SECO, FIT Partnership, Lieferketten, Digitaler Handel, Zoll, Handelspolitik, Internationale Lieferketten, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, Digitalisierung > Switzerland and 18 partner states aim to better coordinate trade and make supply chains for essential goods more resilient. New members include Peru, South Korea, and Thailand. --- Switzerland is working more closely with 18 other countries in international trade. On July 17, 2026, the countries of the so-called Future of Investment and Trade Partnership met in Auckland, New Zealand. The name is somewhat unwieldy. But it stands for something simple: trading nations want to coordinate better so that goods flows function even in difficult times. This is not about a new free trade agreement. It is also not about new tariffs. The adopted declarations are not legally binding. Nevertheless, the topic is of interest to freight forwarders, shippers, and customs departments. Because recent years have shown how quickly supply chains can become disrupted. Pandemics, wars, sanctions, port congestion, raw material shortages, or new export controls: when each country acts alone, it quickly becomes complicated for the economy. The participating countries therefore want to cooperate better on important goods. This includes, for example, goods, raw materials, or products that are important for the economy, supply, or security. A second focus is digital trade. This involves less paper, more electronic documents, and simpler processes. For example, digital trade documents, electronic certificates, or systems that work better together. This would be important for practical application. When documents are accepted digitally and cleanly, it saves time. The freight forwarder has to chase less paper. The shipper receives fewer follow-up questions. And the customs process becomes faster and clearer at best. New members are Peru, South Korea, and Thailand. This brings the partnership to 19 countries. --- For freight forwarders and shippers, this does not immediately change their daily operations. There is no new customs obligation, no new tariff, and no new code that must be recorded in customs clearance tomorrow. Nevertheless, the direction is important. States today look much more closely at supply chains. They want to know where critical goods come from, where bottlenecks could develop, and how to respond faster in an emergency. For logistics, this means: trade data, origin declarations, digital documents, and clean processes are becoming increasingly important. In short: No new obligation yet. But a clear signal of where things are heading. More coordination between states, less paperwork, and more digital processes in international trade. --- The ministerial meeting took place on July 17, 2026 in Auckland. Switzerland was represented by SECO State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda. The partnership now comprises 19 countries. Peru, South Korea, and Thailand have newly joined. Two non-binding declarations were adopted. One declaration concerns economic security and more resilient supply chains. A second declaration concerns digital trade processes and digital trade documents. This is not about new tariffs or a new free trade agreement. Switzerland played an important role in the declaration on economic security. For companies, this could later result in common standards or simplified digital processes. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Switzerland](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/ch) - [Norway](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/no) - [Iceland](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/is) - [Liechtenstein](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/li) - [Chile](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/cl) - [Paraguay](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/py) - [Peru](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/pe) - [Uruguay](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/uy) - [United Arab Emirates](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/ae) - [Malaysia](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/my) - [South Korea](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/kr) - [Singapore](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/sg) - [New Zealand](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/nz) - [Costa Rica](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/cr) - [Panama](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/pa) - [Brunei Darussalam](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/bn) - [Morocco](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/ma) - [Rwanda](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/rw) ### Glossary - [Free trade agreement](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/free-trade-agreement) - [Goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/goods-2) - [Supply chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain-2) - [Freight forwarder](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight-forwarder) - [Supply Chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain) - [Supply Chain Visibility](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain-visibility) - [Origin of goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/origin-of-goods) - [Certificate of origin](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/certificate-of-origin) - [Goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/goods) - [Customs duty](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-duty) - [Customs clearance](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-clearance-5) - [Customs tariff](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariff) - [Customs Tariff Directive](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariff-directive) - [customs tariff strategy](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariff-strategy) - [customs tariff system](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariff-system) - [customs tariff database](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariff-database) - [customs tariffs](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/customs-tariffs) - [Supply Chain Analytics API](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain-analytics-api) - [Trade Compliance Libraries](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/trade-compliance-libraries) - [Trade Documentation Wallets](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/trade-documentation-wallets) - [Digital Authenticity](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/digital-authenticity) - [Application of a Free Trade Agreement](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/application-of-a-free-trade-agreement) - [foreign trade analysis](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/foreign-trade-analysis) - [export control](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/export-control-2) - [SECO (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/seco-state-secretariat-for-economic-affairs) - [SECO directive](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/seco-directive) - [SECO reporting portal](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/seco-reporting-portal) - [Electronic Documents](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/electronic-documents) - [Non-Tariff Barriers](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/non-tariff-barriers) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/schweiz-und-18-partner-wollen-lieferketten-besser-absichern-20260719133050](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/schweiz-und-18-partner-wollen-lieferketten-besser-absichern-20260719133050)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/schweiz-und-18-partner-wollen-lieferketten-besser-absichern-20260719133050](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/schweiz-und-18-partner-wollen-lieferketten-besser-absichern-20260719133050)*