Germany's Merz opposes EU retaliation against Trump tariffs before deadline, says spokesperson

BERLIN, July 21 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not consider European Union countermeasures against United States tariffs to be appropriate at this point in time to achieve the bloc's goals, a German government spokesperson said on Monday.

"That is why he advocated using the time until the end of July for negotiations," said the spokesperson, adding that that time also includes preparations for after an August 1 deadline.

Brussels is discussing countermeasures if a deal is not reached by August 1, including the so-called anti-coercion instrument, which allows the bloc to retaliate against countries that put pressure on EU members to change economic policies.