Merkel reiterates support for US-EU trade deal

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's open to restarting talks with the United States on a trade deal with the European Union.

The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that Merkel told a business audience in Bavaria that President Donald Trump's administration had signaled it is ready to negotiate and that "for me a Trans-Atlantic agreement remains on the daily agenda."

On a trip to Berlin last month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the U.S. and EU should have a free trade agreement. Negotiations for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal, known as TTIP, started under the Obama administration but have been stalled since last year.

Merkel says protectionist policies can be self-defeating.

She says "it's been repeatedly shown that open markets have economic advantages for all parties involved."