The Federal Council supports a CO2 levy on imported cement. On 21 October 2026, it recommended that Parliament adopt a bill drawn up by the National Council's environment committee. The text provides for a carbon border adjustment on cement-based goods. It aims to put Swiss cement, which is subject to a CO2 price, on an equal footing with cement from less demanding third countries. Nothing has been decided yet: Parliament still has to vote.
Who is proposing this CO2 levy on cement?
The bill does not come from the government, but from a parliamentary committee. It stems from a parliamentary initiative entitled "Laying the foundations for a carbon border adjustment mechanism".
The National Council's Committee for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy (ESPC-N) drafted the text. Its title: "Federal Act on carbon border adjustment for the import of cement-based goods".
The Federal Council therefore only gave its opinion, on 21 October 2026. It proposes that Parliament adopt the committee's bill, with a reservation about how it would be triggered.
What does the bill provide for?
The scope is limited to cement and goods that contain it. Other imported products are not covered by this text.
- The aim: to offset the CO2-related cost gap between Swiss production and production in third countries with less ambitious climate policies.
- The tool: a CO2 compensation levy on cement imported above a certain quantity, according to the Keystone-SDA news agency, as reported by swissinfo.ch.
- The condition: the Federal Council recommends providing for a trigger mechanism, given the impact such a system would have on foreign trade.
The government thus wants to prevent the levy from applying automatically. The details of this trigger mechanism are not specified in the published information.
Why is Swiss cement at a disadvantage?
In Switzerland, cement production is part of the emissions trading system (ETS). This system puts a price on CO2 emissions and encourages producers to reduce them.
Cement made in a country without a comparable system does not bear this cost. According to the Federal Council, the border adjustment should prevent production and its emissions from being relocated to these third countries.
What it changes for cement makers and construction
For Swiss cement makers, the bill would aim to reduce a cost disadvantage compared with imports. Their production remains subject to the ETS CO2 price.
For cement importers, a levy would be added above the set volume. Construction companies that buy imported cement could therefore be affected, depending on the threshold chosen.
The sources put no figure on the effect on cement prices or on construction costs. Any estimate would be premature as long as the threshold and the amount remain unknown.
How does it relate to the EU's carbon border adjustment?
The European Union already applies a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM). It covers cement, among other products. The information published by the Confederation does not say whether the Swiss bill is aligned with this model.
| Swiss bill | EU mechanism (CBAM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | ESPC-N bill, backed by the Federal Council on 21 October 2026; parliamentary vote to come | Transitional phase from 2023 to 2025, definitive regime since 1 January 2026 |
| Products covered | Cement-based goods | Cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity, hydrogen |
| Linked system | Swiss ETS | EU ETS |
| Importers' obligations | Levy above a certain quantity; details unknown | Authorisation, declarations, purchase and surrender of CBAM certificates |
| Price | Not known | Calculated on the auction prices of EU ETS allowances |
In the EU, the mechanism accompanies the gradual phase-out of free allowances under the European ETS. The Swiss bill, for its part, remains limited to cement alone.
What we don't know yet
- The threshold: the quantity of imports above which the levy would apply.
- The amount: the price of the levy and how it is calculated.
- The trigger: the precise conditions of the mechanism recommended by the Federal Council.
- The timetable: the date of the parliamentary debates and a possible entry into force.
- The link with the EU: possible coordination with the European mechanism.
Sources
- Federal Council press releases (21 October 2026)
- CO2 levy on imported cement, swissinfo.ch
- EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) (European Commission)
