- Title: Merkel: trade agreements must go far beyond just cutting tariffs
- Date: 17th May 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 17, 2017) (REUTERS) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING FOR MEETING WITH INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNIONS MERKEL POSING FOR PHOTO WITH DGB (GERMAN TRADE UNIONS) CHAIRMAN REINER HOFFMANN FORMER DGB CHAIRMAN MICHAEL SOMMER JOINING PHOTO SIGN READING: FRIEDRICH EBERT STIFTUNG MERKEL ARRIVING FOR CONFERENCE, SHAKING HANDS MERKEL SITTING DOWN MEDIA LISTENING MERKEL WALKING UP TO PODIUM SIGN AND LOGO FOR G20 GERMANY 2017 / LABOUR 20 DIALOGUE MERKEL SPEAKING AT PODIUM AUDIENCE MEMBER TAKING PICTURE ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Whoever hinders these value-added chains or separates the links, or who aims for barriers, or who wants protectionism ends up damaging everyone. And I think that we are in the middle of a very fascinating discussion in current political negotiations about what actually is protectionism. We use the work often in certain ways but what does it mean and where does one need to protect oneself, shall I say, and where must one be reciprocal. It can't work if the one is fully open and the other is putting up barriers. That can't work. That means that we have to look for opportunities and a rule-based facilitation of trade, preferably based on multi-lateral agreements but we must also see that in the meanwhile there are a fair amount of bilateral agreements." PHOTOGRAPHERS MERKEL SPEAKING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "After very intense discussions between the European Union and Canada and very intense discussions within Germany about the EU-Canada trade agreement we saw that modern trade agreements have to go beyond just cutting tariffs. It should also be about environmental and consumer standards and should have transparent conflict resolution mechanisms." PEOPLE LISTENING NOTES ON L20 SUMMIT HEADED PAPER CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS PEOPLE LISTENING MERKEL SPEAKING DURING PANEL DISCUSSION PANEL MEMBERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "I would like to end with a thank you. Not just to all of you who came here but also a thank you to the Canadian representative (Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff) and Mister Hoffmann. Because you really contributed personally to CETA and fought very hard to get the trade agreement accepted. I don't know if I am doing you nay favours by thanking you (laughs) but it is a thanks that comes from my heart." MERKEL STANDING UP AT END OF PANEL DISCUSSION
- Embargoed: 31st May 2017 17:44
- Keywords: CETA Canada Brexit trade Merkel
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA0016H8741Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Free trade agreements have to do more than just cut tariffs, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told trade unionists on Wednesday (May 17), adding that environmental, consumer protection and dispute resolution standards were also essential.
"A modern trade agreement has to be about more than cutting tariffs," she told the Labour 20 conference of international trade unions. "It should also be about environmental and consumer standards and should have transparent conflict resolution mechanisms."
She warned that protectionism risked "hurting everyone" in a world in which 450 million jobs were dependent on global supply chains. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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