Germany seeking deal to end EU-US trade dispute


By Reuters

BRUSSELS -- Germany is seeking to end a dispute between the United States and the European Union over President Donald Trump’s decision to impose high tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Monday.

FILE PHOTO - German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 23, 2018.  REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch FILE PHOTO - German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier arrives to the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 23, 2018. (REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/MANILA BULLETIN)

Altmaier said he would discuss the issue with European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at a meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris this week.

“We need to try to avoid higher tariffs,” Altmaier said. Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum in March but the European Union has been granted exemptions until June 1.