Merz urges EU to strike 'quick, simple' tariff deal with US

BERLIN, GERMANY - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday urged the European Union to strike a "quick and simple" deal on tariffs with the United States, with just days to go before a negotiating deadline.

"It is better to achieve a quick and simple solution than a lengthy and complicated one that remains in the negotiation stage for months," Merz said in Berlin, at a time when EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic is in Washington seeking to seal an agreement.

Merz said a quick deal was needed "to remove the burden of tariffs on our businesses, which are far too high".

He added that the current talks are "not about a minutely detailed trade deal" but "the quick resolution of a tariff dispute".

A speedy agreement was needed, he said, "in particular for our country's key industries: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, aluminium, steel, automobiles".

The EU has until Wednesday next week to reach a deal or see swingeing US tariffs kick in on a majority of its goods.

If no agreement is reached, the United States has said it will impose an additional of 20% on the EU on top of a base rate of 10%.

If no agreement is reached, the default tariff on EU imports is expected to double to 20% or even higher - Trump having at one point threatened 50%.

Last month Germany's central bank warned that Europe's biggest economy could face two more years of recession if the trade war with the US escalated.