Germany's Scholz says 'fan' of MERCOSUR trade deal

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday said he was a "big fan" of free trade agreements, including the European Union's planned deal with Latin American countries known as MERCOSUR, recently called into question as farmer protests are shaking the bloc.

"I am a big fan of free-trade agreements and also of the MERCOSUR," Scholz told a press conference in Brussels, taking a diametrically opposite stance to French President Emmanuel Macron, who this week said the deal could not go ahead.