Friedrich Merz, a German conservative leader, is considered the frontrunner to become the country’s next chancellor. He wants the European Union to make another attempt at a free trade deal once Donald Trump is back in the Oval Office.
“We need a positive agenda with the U.S., which would benefit both American and European consumers,” said Merz. “A new European-American joint free trade initiative could halt a dangerous spiral of tariffs.”
The Financial Times says it’s not clear what kind of reaction he’ll get from Washington. Trump halted negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, once a planned trade agreement between the EU and the U.S. Trump made the decision soon after taking office and imposed tariffs on European imports. In a sign of potential disagreements in the months ahead, President-elect Trump warned that the U.S. would impose tariffs on EU goods unless it bought more American oil and gas.
