“Negotiations with the United States are just starting on the basis of the agreement that was implemented on Sunday,” said Eric Lombard Minister Eric Lombard after a meeting of around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Bercy, which gathered a part of the government around the table, the employers’ representatives and the economic sectors. Few concrete announcements emerged from this closed -door exchange, apart from the creation of a website for companies and the commitment to transmit the grievances of the sectors affected by American customs from the European Commission next week.
The USA/EU customs agreement provides for a general taxation of 15 % on European products arriving in American territory, with exceptions, especially for aeronautics which will be exempt. France “pushes” so that wines and spirits are also exempt, said the Minister for Foreign Trade Laurent Saint-Martin, who, evoking the American surplus in terms of service with the EU, also called for not having “taboo”. According to him, it is necessary to consider expanding the discussion to include goods and services at the same time, while the American president justifies his trade crusade by invoking only an EU/USA imbalance on the exchange of goods at the expense of the United States.
Points that must be cleared up
“In all probability, there could be a” zero for zero “agreement for spirits, but for wines, we know nothing,” said the Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, also among the ministers present at this meeting, after discussions. “This meeting allowed us to express our requests at a higher level,” said the director general of the Federation of Beauty Businesses Febea (Cosmetics, etc.), Emmanuel Guichard, alerting the risk of “a loss of 300 million euros” and “5,000 direct and indirect jobs” due to 15 %taxation. Also present at this meeting, the CPME and U2P on the employer side; France Industry, French banking federation or France insurers, among others, on the federations side.
A little earlier, when he arrived in Bercy, the boss of Medef Patrick Martin considered that there were “sectorally a lot of points that deserve to be lightened” after Sunday announcements and expresses his “disappointment” concerning the agreement concluded. He also said he did not wait for “sectoral financial support, except perhaps for wine”, of which France is a large exporter, in the event of taxation at 15 % in the end.
“Not necessarily more reassured”
“We have very important concerns. We are in the process of destroying whole sections of our economy (…) and what does the minister offer us? It is a website. We are lucky, we could think a moment having a toll -free number or a minitel number… ”, castigated the socialist deputy of Eure Philippe Brun, interviewed by BFMTV.
The vice-president of the CPME, Dominique Chargé, said on Wednesday evening on Europe 1 that he does not necessarily leave “more reassured” from Reunion to Bercy, but “with some details”. Éric Lombard reiterated to Bercy on Wednesday, the “relief of having avoided a commercial escalation” despite the “disappointment that we arrive at a 15 % agreement”. Regarding business aid, the Minister of the Economy recalled the government’s efforts on Wednesday in terms of “simplification of standards, simplifying access to financing”.
