Chemical industry is hoping for signs of relaxation ++ Negotiations instead of trade war.

VCI director-general Utz Tillmann hopes that tomorrow’s visit of EU Commission President Juncker to US President Trump will ease the trade conflict. Tillmann: “The global economy stands at the beginning of a difficult phase. A further escalation in the tense EU-US relations cannot be in the interest of the economies on both sides of the Atlantic. The Presidents should use this chance to find a guiding thread for talks to end the trade conflict.”

Tillmann emphasizes: “The German chemical industry wants fewer trade barriers instead of new tariffs. Both sides should explore a possible framework for free trade talks that reconcile the interests of the European Union and the United States alike.”

The VCI director-general also takes the opportunity of the Juncker visit to highlight the importance of a single EU trade policy: “Commission President Juncker can meet US President Trump at eye level only if Europe has a common trade policy position and speaks with one voice.”