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Germany should look for new trade partners, Chancellor Merz says
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Chancellor Merz urges Germany to seek new trade partners beyond the EU-US deal, focusing on global markets and future-ready social security systems.
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany should look beyond a trade deal between the United States and the European Union that slaps 15% tariffs on EU goods by finding new trade partners in coming years, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday.
"How do we handle world trade if for example the Americans are no longer prepared to play by the rules of the World Trade Organisation? " Merz said at a government Open Day, an event where people can visit Berlin institutions and participate in discussions.
"We should search for partners in the world that share our thinking," added Merz , leader of the conservative CDU party whose approval rating stands at 25% - level with Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) - according to an INSA poll published by newspaper Bild this weekend.
The July 28 framework trade deal was brokered between U.S. President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"We need good economic relations with the U.S., and we may have got off lightly," said Merz, noting that trade possibilities might open up in South America, Asia and Africa, and should be of mutual benefit.
"We must consistently go down that road," he said.
Merz also said basic questions regarding social security systems needed to be addressed by the end of the year, arguing that the government must rein in welfare spending on employment, pension and health benefits.
"We have to make our social security systems fit for the future," he said.
(Reporting by Vera Eckert and Andreas Rinke; Editing by David Holmes)
Chancellor Merz suggests that Germany should seek new trade partners beyond the EU-US trade deal, especially in regions like South America, Asia, and Africa.
The US-EU trade deal imposes 15% tariffs on EU goods, prompting Merz to advocate for exploring alternative trade relationships.
Merz raised concerns about how to handle world trade if the US is no longer willing to adhere to the rules of the World Trade Organisation.
Merz emphasized the need to address fundamental questions regarding social security systems by the end of the year to ensure they are fit for the future.
Chancellor Merz's approval rating currently stands at 25%, which is on par with the Alternative für Deutschland party.
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