Merkel Spokesman Rejects Vice Chancellor’s Claim TTIP Is Dead
- Economy minister cited de-facto failure of EU-U.S. trade talks
- BDI industry lobby ‘astonished,’ urges political leadership
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German business groups and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman rejected her deputy’s assertion that U.S.-European talks on a free-trade accord have effectively failed.
Ulrich Grillo, head of the Federation of German Industries, called the comment by Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel “astonishing” and urged Merkel’s government to throw its full weight behind the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. Gabriel heads the Social Democratic Party, which is Merkel’s junior coalition partner, making him both vice chancellor and a political rival.