U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a two-hour tour of the world’s largest industrial technology trade show, which took place in Hanover, Germany, on Monday, April 25. The two world leaders seemed to be in good spirits as they viewed exhibits featuring technology and exciting new products.
Half of the largest trade shows in the U.S. take place in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Orlando, but Merkel personally invited Obama to showcase U.S. businesses at the Hanover trade show, and nearly 400 U.S. businesses were represented.
Hanover Messe has been the world’s most important industrial trade fair since its introduction to the world in 1947 as a postwar industrial upturn for the German economy.
Obama’s high-profile visit to Germany concluded in a meeting to discuss a proposed trade deal between the U.S. and the E.U.
The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has been met with a great deal of opposition, particularly from the Germans. As President Obama landed in Germany this past weekend, he was greeted by thousands of protesters opposing the controversial trade deal. Protesters carried signs that said “Yes We Can–Stop TTIP!” as a riff on the president’s 2008 campaign slogan.
Despite mass disapproval, the U.S. president stands by his decision. He said, “Angela and I agree that the United States and the European Union need to keep moving forward with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.”
Merkel agreed with President Obama, saying, “It is good for the German economy, it is good for the European economy.”
Those in opposition worry that high tariffs at U.S. customs might make it difficult for Americans to afford European goods, thus making it harder for European farmers and firms to export their products.