MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Merkel said the TTIP would help EU member states increase employment amid a rising jobless rate.
"I suggest that we wait until the end of negotiations before assessing the result," Merkel told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.
1 September 2016, 17:02 GMT
German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel declared the deal, which seeks to make it easier for US and EU firms to export and invest overseas, "de factor failed" last month.
Gabriel said the US and EU negotiators had been unable to agree on the 27-chapter draft at the 14th round of talks in July. He added the EU-Canada free trade deal, the so-called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was fairer for all.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steimeier argued in favor of the CETA, in an article carried by the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper on Friday, saying it would preserve and generate jobs and promote growth.
