Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, said during a visit to the European Commission today (4 March) that she wants a free trade deal between the EU and the US to be concluded by the end of this year.

Merkel made the comments following her first official meeting with the college of European commissioners in Brussels, during a press conference with Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. She said that at least the political and “most essential” part will need to be finalised by the end of 2015. “If there is a will, there is a way to conclude the talks”, she said.

Both leaders said that an agreement on TTIP is needed. Juncker stressed however that “it is not the EU’s role to sell out its values”. The deal will have to be negotiated in an “objective way”. The trade agreement aims at eliminating tariff barriers, but some countries believe that there are still too many uncertainties about the effects and benefits of the deal, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The Commission has made progress on TTIP a top priority. The chief negotiators from the US and the EU finalised the eighth round of talks last month. The next two rounds are scheduled to take place in April and July.

Another topic on Merkel’s agenda in Brussels were sanctions on Russia in relation to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Merkel and French President François Hollande negotiated a ceasefire at talks held in Minsk, Belarus last month. However this ceasefire has been repeatedly violated.

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When asked if tougher sanctions on Russia are needed, Merkel said that the most important point is that the Minsk agreement is fully implemented. “The integrity of Ukraine can only be respected if Ukraine can have its soldiers at the Ukrainian frontiers again.”

However, if there is a serious violation of the ceasefire, Europe could impose further sanctions, the chancellor said. She stressed that “the real discussion” about Ukraine at the college meeting was more positive, focusing on the decrease in bloodshed in Ukraine. “It is clear that before and just after the signing of the agreement the situation was worse than it is now.”