German politicians and business leaders reacted with relief, surprise, and some skepticism to the apparent trade tariff breakthrough that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker achieved on his trip to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was among the first to express his approval, tweeting that the new deal would “avoid trade war & save millions of jobs!”
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also took to Twitter to declare Juncker’s negotiations a triumph for European solidarity. “The agreement in the trade row has shown that when Europe presents a united front our word has weight,” the minister tweeted. “We are not opponents of the USA. Hopefully that insight will once again mature into what it was not long ago: something that goes without saying.”
The optimism was echoed through Angela Merkel’s official channels, with the chancellor’s deputy spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer, saying that the government welcomed the agreement, and that the “EU Commission could continue to rely on our support.”
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