Merz and Macron want the EU to hit back harder — and faster — against trade threats

BERLIN — The European Commission needs the power to act much faster against trade threats, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron urged in a joint letter on Monday. In the letter — which was accompanied by a joint position paper — the two leaders said the EU faced unprecedented challenges. “The open and rules-based trading system is massively affected by weaponization of trade, systemic market-distorting practices and global macroeconomic imbalances,” they wrote. While the letter doesn’t mention China by name, it is clearly related to the bloc’s €1-billion-a-day trade deficit with the world’s leading exporter. It calls for urgent action, saying the EU’s existing trade defense toolbox “does not suffice anymore.