OCT. 10, 2018

President Piñera and Chancellor Merkel agree to strengthen commercial ties and cooperation on innovation and energy

During their meeting in Berlin, the President and the Chancellor talked about modernizing the free trade agreement between Chile and the EU and also made a commitment to work together on matters regarding tax, culture, education and climate change.

President Sebastián Piñera met on Wednesday in Berlin with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. During their meeting, President Piñera highlighted the commitment of both Chile and Germany to work together in promoting trade, entrepreneurship and innovation.

During the meeting, which included a lunch attended by both leaders, progress was made in the discussion about modernizing the free trade agreement between Chile and the EU. The aim is to expand the treaty to include more products and convert it into an accord that also covers collaboration in science, technology and political cooperation.

“We had a very good meeting – we made progress towards a new stage in relations between Chile and the European Union, with the modernization of the current agreement which we want to strengthen and perfect,” said the President during a joint statement with Chancellor Merkel, at the start of a two-day official visit to Germany.
To this end, the President thanked the Chancellor for her will to “strengthen the ties between Germany and Chile, with a single objective in mind: to improve the opportunities and quality of life of our peoples.”

The President and Chancellor Merkel also agreed to work together in the fight against climate change and to collaborate in the development of clean renewable energy.

Germany is the third stop on the President’s tour through Europe after his visits to France and Spain, where he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI.

The President, who is being accompanied by First Lady Cecilia Morel, will meet this Wednesday with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and with the President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble.