MERZ PUSHES FOR QUICK RESOLUTION IN TARIFF DISPUTE WITH US

WASHINGTON, March 4 (dpa) -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is pushing for a swift end to the tariff dispute between the United States (US) and the European Union, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

After meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, Merz said he had urgently asked Trump to conclude the EU-US trade agreement.

He said the uncertainties caused by the tariff dispute were weighing on industries on both sides of the Atlantic.

The agreement reached last year should be signed and implemented "as quickly as possible," Merz further stated.

He said that reaching a credible and stable agreement with the US would provide a strong boost to trans-Atlantic relations.

Merz noted that Trump highlighted a continuing “slight trade balance deficit” in goods, disadvantaging the US.

He also pointed out, however, that the services balance deficit between Europe and the US is much larger, and that the EU has not yet considered imposing special tariffs on US-provided services in Europe.

The tariff dispute between the US and the EU has escalated again after the US Supreme Court prohibited Trump from imposing tariffs on imports from many countries under an emergency law.

Following this, the US president announced that he now wanted to pursue other ways to continue enforcing his tariffs.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump agreed last year to allow duty-free imports of US industrial goods.

In exchange, the US pledged to cap tariffs on most EU imports at 15 per cent. However, the legally binding agreement negotiated with the US has not yet been finalised.

--BERNAMA-dpa