The US should not question the trade agreement with the EU – Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the Trump administration not to question the trade agreement between the US and the EU, signed in July last year. This was reported by DPA.

He called for a final decision in this dispute and said that the groundwork has now been laid for the agreement to take effect if Washington honors its commitments.

According to Merz, the American side should be interested in ensuring that the agreements are not undermined by “daily announcements.”

“We are not prepared to accept a deterioration of this agreement,” the German chancellor stressed.

Merz also added that the parties have not yet reached a final agreement on aluminum and steel.

Although the agreement between the EU and the US was agreed upon last year, it still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. On January 21, the latter officially suspended the ratification process amid escalating tensions over Greenland. On the same day, US President Donald Trump abandoned plans to impose tariffs on imports from the UK and seven EU member states because of their position on this issue.

Later, Friedrich Merz said he was closely monitoring the weakening of the dollar and was concerned about the burden it would place on Germany’s export-oriented economy.

In January, the EU considered far-reaching countermeasures, including tariffs worth €93 billion, in response to Donald Trump’s statements. This move could reactivate those that the bloc suspended after reaching a trade agreement with the United States in July last year.