Trump had promised to bin the EU trade deal in his election campaign, and now appears to have made good on that promise after it emerged any details of TTIP had been wiped from the White House website shortly after Mr Trump was sworn in as president. Ms Merkel said she would seek compromises on issues like trade and military spending with the billionaire President, adding she would work on preserving the important relationship between Europe and the United States.
''First, I believe firmly that it is best for all of us if we work together based on rules, common values and joint action in the international economic system, in the international trade system, and make our contributions to the military alliances. And second, the trans-Atlantic relationship will not be less important in the coming years than it was in past years. And I will work on that. Even when there are different opinions, compromises and solutions can be best found when we exchange ideas with respect.’' Her latest comments come after Ms Merkel snubbed Trump earlier this week, by saying shewould not respond to his comments about her open-door migration policy until he took office.
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP (pronounced T-Tip), is a planned agreement focused on lowering trade tariffs and removing costly regulations on business across the Atlantic. These barriers include labour rights, food safety rules and banking safeguards put into place following the recession.
A key aim of the EU trade deal is to open up public services – allowing US firms to bid for private contracts on state-run organisations such as the NHS. David Cameron's Government failed to declare our health service off limits – despite EU bureaucrats giving nations the power to do so. The pact could also see private companies suing governments should they enact policies that affect their profits. The move will be a blow to European Union chiefs who hoped to remove trade barriers between the bloc and Washington.
A number of TTIP talks had already been held in secret under the Obama administration but it appears the hours of diplomacy and negotiation may have gone to waste. Mr Obama and Angela Merkel both pushed for the deal, with the German Chancellor saying the agreement was “absolutely in Europe’s interests”.
Mr Trump, a critic of multilateral trade deals, has also already announced plans to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on his first day in office. As well as deleting TTIP, references to Obamacare have also been scrapped alongside references to the LGBT movement and climate change. In its place, the Trump administration is instead plugging its America First policies - before the president even set foot in the White House in his new role.
