Merz Aims to Rein In Macron on EU Response to Trump’s Threat (1)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he’s trying to persuade French President Emmanuel Macron to tone down his response to US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to slap new trade tariffs on European allies.

Macron intends to request the activation of the European Union’s so-called anti-coercion instrument, Bloomberg reported over the weekend, but Merz said Monday that Germany’s heavier dependence on exports means it’s less willing to unleash the bloc’s strongest trade countermeasure.

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“France is affected by the American tariffs to a different extent than we are,” ...