- Title: Germany's Merkel calls for faster progress on EU-India trade deal
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 30, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL AND INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI ARRIVING AT BUSINESS FORUM MEDIA MERKEL AND MODI SITTING DOWN CLOSE OF MERKEL AND MODI SITTING CAMERAMAN MODI GOING TO STAGE TO SPEAK PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI, SAYING: "There is huge potential in India-Germany economic collaboration. Our economic partnership is still below its full potential. To enhance this we in India are ready with open arms to welcome German companies. With a view to help the German companies we have put in place a fast track mechanism. A number of issues have already been resolved through this fast track mechanism. We are doing it essentially because we value German partnership a lot." AUDIENCE, PAN TO MERKEL GOING ONTO STAGE TO SPEAK (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "We are, Germany is, by far the most important trading partner from the EU in India but we don't just want to trade we want to invest." AUDIENCE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "The range of businesses is a wide one. It ranges from the automobile industry through to aviation to pharmaceuticals. And I think that German companies and their know-how could be important partners for a modernisation of Indian economic structures and infrastructures, whether it is in transport infrastructure or energy systems or urban development. We today discussed in depth that this all has to happen in a way that does not unsettle the people by modernising too fast, rather it should carry the people, the employees with it." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "One topic that we returned to over and over again today - the prime minister also addressed it in his speech - is the subject of open markets and free and fair trade. We see protectionist tendencies worldwide. We believe that with the deep amalgamation of international value-added chains it is necessary to be open and to create fair trading conditions and that is why it is important to us that we progress with the German-Indian or better said the EU-Indian trade deal. Germany will do a major push in Brussels to ensure that these negotiations progress again and possibly progress faster than it was possible in the past. This was an important topic in our talks and I think that we want to make it a reality." AUDIENCE LISTENING MERKEL LEAVING STAGE
- Embargoed: 13th June 2017 14:22
- Keywords: Angela Merkel Narendra Modi German-Indian government consultation
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016J151L3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Germany will push hard in Brussels for progress to be made on a free-trade agreement between India and the European Union, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday (May 30) in a speech warning of growing "protectionist tendencies" worldwide.
"It's important to us that we make progress on the German-Indian, or rather EU-Indian free trade agreement," she said at a Berlin business forum where she shared a platform with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. "We will do a major push in Brussels to ensure that these negotiations progress again."
Her remarks come after U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his criticism of Germany's trade surplus with his country, tweeting that the "MASSIVE" U.S. trade deficit with Europe's largest economy "will change".
Modi told the forum that economic collaboration between Germany and India was still "below full potential". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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