Germany is calling for discussions about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US, which were halted by former US President Donald Trump, to be revived.
“We should resume negotiations on a transatlantic free trade agreement,” Christian Lindner, the finance minister of Europe’s number-one economy, told the German business newspaper Handelsblatt.
“Especially now in the crisis, it is becoming clear how important free trade is with partners around the world who share our values.”
Trump pulled the US out of discussions over the TTIP – which had been the subject of negotiations between Brussels and Washington since 2013, during the Obama administration – saying international trade agreements hurt US workers and damaged the country’s competitiveness.