German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told Deutschlandfunk radio today that “for some weeks and months now, we’re observing with concern that the U.S. is tightening its trade policies, that tensions are increasing.” And, “the impact can already be seen in the world economy, global growth has slowed.”
Regarding the trade talks between EU and US, Altmaier said “We are not yet where we want to be. We might have made one-third of the way and the most difficult part will be now”. Though he added he was in favor of lowering auto tariffs, “ideally to zero percent”.
But Altmaier also reiterated EU’s position that agriculture will not be included in any trade talks. He said “agriculture is a very sensitive topic, so we don’t want to talk about this in the current situation.”
