Going east or west from Switzerland one would have to cross at least half the planet before reaching the Pacific Ocean. This distance alone makes it very unlikely that Switzerland would get involved with the Pacific Alliance (PA) or in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). However, the Swiss based transnational Nestlé is very much engaged with the PA and its objectives. Nestlé also seems to have a powerful influence on Swiss foreign policy and has managed to get the Swiss government to engage with the PA. At least this is what we learn from the ‘First Youth Meeting of the Pacific Alliance” held in Peru on May 19th 2016.
The following information comes from the website for this event: “The meeting, organized by the PA and Nestlé, brought together top level repre-sentatives from the Ministries of Labor and Education of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as well as the State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation of the Swiss government, Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, business leaders and delegations of young entrepreneurs and students from the four member countries.”