German Chancellor Merz: EU to Offer Better Trade Plan as Free Trade Comes Under Pressure

The signal here is directional rather than substantive: an EU leader is publicly framing the bloc as the proactive party on trade at a moment when the rules-based order is described as under pressure. That matters most for export-exposed European sectors and for trading partners weighing whether Brussels can deliver alternatives to country-by-country deals. With no contents or timeline disclosed, the gap between the stated ambition and any operable framework is the story. Whether the promised plan materializes with specifics, and whether it extends beyond bilateral arrangements in practice, is the open question.