Germany stated today that it expects the United States to honor the current trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, after Washington proposed new tariffs on imports from Europe and other trading partners.
The comment was delivered by a German government spokesperson at a press conference, who said Berlin's principal concern remains ensuring the implementation of the existing EU-US trade agreement. The spokesperson's remarks were offered in response to questions about a U.S. proposal to impose 10% tariffs on imports from the EU and other economies.
On the rationale for the measure, the U.S. administration cited shortcomings in curbing trade in goods made with forced labor as the justification for the proposed duties. In describing Germany's position, the government spokesperson said: "Our focus is on ensuring that the existing EU-US trade agreement is now implemented, we have no doubt that existing agreement will be honored."
The statement emphasized a diplomatic expectation that the present agreement will be respected even as Washington has signaled new trade actions tied to forced-labor concerns. In the press briefing, German officials framed their priority as the implementation of the instruments already in place between the EU and the U.S., and they reiterated confidence that the arrangement will be upheld by the United States.
This sequence of remarks followed direct questioning about the U.S. proposal to apply a 10% tariff on imports from the EU and other economies. According to the U.S. rationale cited at the time, the tariff proposal responds to what Washington describes as failures to prevent the import of products made with forced labor.
Beyond restating Berlin's expectation that the current agreement be implemented and honored, the government spokesperson underscored that German authorities are focused on ensuring that the existing framework governing EU-US trade is carried out as intended. The comments provide a clear public record of Germany's stance amid the U.S. announcement regarding proposed tariffs tied to forced-labor concerns.