Merz Pushes Back on US Drug Probe, Citing EU Trade Pact (1)

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects the US to stand by its trade commitments with Europe after Donald Trump’s administration launched a tariff investigation into Germany’s drug pricing.

The German leader, who said decisions on pharmaceutical payments are a domestic matter, made the remarks after the US started an investigation under rules that allow the Office of the US Trade Representative to impose levies in response to unfair trade barriers.

Any new tariffs could collide with a pending US-EU trade agreement that entails the 27-member bloc eliminating levies for American industrial goods in exchange for a 15% ceiling on ...