German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on Donald Trump to end his trade war and remove tariffs, Politico quoted him as saying.
"I told him that I don't think escalating this tariff dispute is a good idea," Merz told a news conference in Brussels. "The best solution would be "zero" for everything and everyone."
Merz spoke with the US president in a phone call on Thursday. On Friday, he visited the Belgian capital for meetings with EU and NATO leaders.
"At least in the short term, I hope we can take steps to reduce existing tariffs," Merz said alongside European Commission President von der Leyen. "And in the long term, also in terms of a trade deal."
Merz stressed that the EU and the US should have a mutual "zero-for-zero" deal, something the Commission has already proposed for industrial goods. That contrasts with Trump's tight new trade deal with the UK, which maintains 10 percent tariffs on most British goods and which Merz praised on Friday.
The new chancellor also expressed regret that previous negotiations for a transatlantic trade deal were never concluded. "Today we know how valuable that could have been," he said. "Unfortunately, this is a missed opportunity."
Merz argues that in addition to tariffs, the EU should offer "broad recognition" of technical standards because of the "great potential for opening up markets". An example of this would be rules on cars.
When he spoke to Trump, Merz said he made sure that the US president would have to work with the EU, not with individual member states. "The closest trading partner for the US is not Germany, France or Poland - it is Europe and the European Union," he said.