Macron and Merz jointly propose that the EU set up a trade countermeasure tool capable of cutting off market access

On October 5, French President Macron and German Chancellor Merz sent a joint letter to European Commission President von der Leyen, proposing that the Commission be granted new trade countermeasure powers, allowing it to immediately cut off relevant third countries' access to the EU single market when necessary, and recommending the adoption of a reverse qualified majority mechanism. The document does not name China; according to AFP, the initiative was put forward amid escalating EU-China trade frictions, on the eve of the EU trade commissioner's talks in Beijing.