United States Brussels, 10 November 2014

On November 10, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström visited Berlin, where she met with Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Sigmar Gabriel. The two exchanged views on current EU trade policy and underlined their common interest in close cooperation. The focus of their discussions were the trade agreements with Canada (CETA) and the US (TTIP).

Cecilia Malmström said: I'm pleased to visit Berlin on my first trip in the role of Commissioner for Trade. Minister Gabriel and I have had very constructive discussions today. As regards TTIP, my first order of business as Commissioner will be to look in detail at how we, from the Commission's side, can increase transparency around the negotiations as much as possible. We need to address the concerns that exist about this deal, both big and small. And we need to explain that there is no question of lowering our standards. While we do so, let us not lose sight of the bigger picture: This trade deal would be of huge benefit for Europe when it comes to growth and jobs, not least for our small and medium-sized businesses. That is especially true for Germany as a major exporting country.

During her visit to Berlin, Cecilia Malmström also met with the Confederation of German Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB).

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Press release from Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie