According to online reports, German Prime Minister-designate Mertz said that Trump's tariff policy increased the risk of financial crisis and advocated reaching a US-European free trade agreement. "I want a new transatlantic free trade agreement with zero tariffs on everything, which is good for both sides," he said. The EU has proposed imposing "zero-to-zero" reciprocal tariffs on U.S. industrial products. Trump told reporters on Monday that the proposal was not enough, suggesting that Europe should offset the tariffs by buying U.S. energy. Mertz said if the United States decides to withdraw from global trade completely, Europe will have to focus on non-U.S. markets. Mertz said: "Trump's policies are increasing the risk of the next financial crisis coming prematurely. We Europeans need to come up with persuasive responses."