German Finance Minister upbeat EU and U.S. will find solution to trade dispute

[December 06, 2018]  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Thursday he was optimistic that U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker would find a solution to the trade dispute between the EU and the United States.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz attends a press conference after the federal cabinet meeting in Potsdam, Germany November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

"Yes I am optimistic," Scholz said. "The President of the United States of America and the President of the EU have agreed to carry out good and constructive talks and this is happening. Therefore there is reason to believe this will end with a reasonable result."

Scholz said risks for the German economy included the possibility of a hard Brexit, which he said would not be good for anyone, and high levels of sovereign debt, including in Italy.

He said Italy had taken a constructive approach regarding the Commission's comments on its budgets, adding this was a good sign.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr)

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