Merz called the future agreement on duties between the US and the EU "asymmetric"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday, July 18, that the agreement on duties between European countries and the United States would be "asymmetric." The broadcast of the summer press conference was published on the YouTube channel of the Tagesschau portal.

Merz suggested that if the services sector were included, the balance of trade between the United States and Europe would be different.

"The American government does not accept this, so we must focus on the fact that we will have an asymmetric agreement on duties, but again with the lowest possible rates on both sides," the chancellor added.

According to him, he discussed the issue of duties with US President Donald Trump last Friday. He also noted that no matter how much taxes are levied, everyone will be harmed.

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Bloomberg reported on July 16 that more than six EU countries support the use of retaliatory measures against the United States if Washington imposes trade duties of 30% on Europe. According to the agency, these measures may include new taxes for large American technology companies or restrictions on American investments in the EU.

On July 12, US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 30 percent duties on exports from the European Union from August 1, 2025. He also stressed that the figure of 30% is "much less than is necessary to eliminate the inequality in the trade deficit with the EU."