Obama and Merkel Emphasize Benefits of US-EU Trade Agreement in Joint Article

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, state that employers, workers, and farmers in Germany and the US will "undoubtedly" benefit from the free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. Their remarks sharply contrast with the positions of Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, whose campaign prominently featured opposition to foreign trade agreements, arguing that such agreements eliminate job opportunities in the US. According to Reuters, Obama and Merkel wrote in a joint article to be published in the German magazine 'Wirtschafts Woche': "An agreement that further links the economies of our countries and is based on rules grounded in our shared values will contribute to our economic growth in the decades to come and maintain the competitiveness of our economies in the global arena." Merkel and Obama emphasized that the US and Germany will be stronger as a result of their cooperation, and in the current context where the global economy is growing and developing more rapidly, the collaboration between the two countries is more important than ever. The leaders of Germany and the US write in this article, which is set to be fully published on Friday: "There is no possibility of returning to a pre-globalization world," adding that Germany and the US must seize this opportunity to shape the globalization of the economy based on the shared values of the two countries. They further state: "We owe the expansion of cooperation between our two countries to our businesses, citizens, and the entire international community." Obama and Merkel add that given that in the current era, every important decision in one country will impact others, having common rules like the trade agreement between the EU and the US is vital. Angela Merkel is one of the key European leaders who has supported the transatlantic trade and investment partnership and the related negotiations in recent years. Contrary to previous expectations, negotiations for the final signing of this agreement did not conclude during Barack Obama's presidency. In another part of their joint article, Merkel and Obama write: "We strive to stabilize and respect international laws and norms globally, which is an important prerequisite for economic stability and prosperity."