German chancellor: EU, US could reach trade deal in days to come

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed confidence that the European Union can close a trade deal with the United States in the coming days.

“I am cautiously optimistic that we can succeed in reaching an agreement with the U.S. in the next few days, by the end of the month at the latest,” Merz told lawmakers in the Bundestag on July 9, Caliber.Az reports, citing American media.

“I myself am also in close contact with the American government, with the president and the European Commission,” Merz said. “Our aim,” he added, is to reach an agreement “as quickly as possible that links mutual trade between the U.S. and the European Union with the lowest possible tariffs.”

Merz is under enormous pressure from German industry, particularly from automakers, to push the EU to seal a rapid deal as its export-oriented economy is being hit hard by Trump’s sectoral tariffs. The U.S. currently levies 25 per cent tariffs on cars and 50 per cent on steel and aluminium.

“There is a lot at stake here,” said Merz. “Jobs are at stake here. The prosperity of our country is also at stake here.”

While pushing the EU to act quickly, Merz also said Germany would “achieve nothing” if it were to act on its own, underscoring the need for unity among the bloc’s 27 member states.

By Khagan Isayev