German advisor Friedrich Merz is pushing for a swift resolution to the customs dispute between the United States and the European Union. Following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, Merz stated that he has urgently requested Trump to broker a trade deal between the EU and the US. He added that the uncertainty caused by the disputes over tariffs is casting a shadow on industries on both sides of the Atlantic. Merz emphasized that the agreement reached last year should be signed and implemented 'as quickly as possible,' noting that a convincing and stable agreement with the US would be a strong boost for transatlantic relations. Merz also mentioned that Trump pointed to a 'slight trade deficit' in the exchange of goods to the detriment of the US. In response, Merz clarified that there is a much larger deficit in the services balance between Europe and the US, pointing out that the EU has not yet considered imposing special tariffs on US services in Europe. The customs dispute between the US and the EU has escalated again after the US Supreme Court blocked Trump from imposing tariffs on imports from several countries under an emergency law. Following this, the US president announced that he now wants to seek other ways to continue imposing his tariffs.
