New American customs duties of 15 % on European exports do not pass to France. This agreement between the EU and the United States is castigated by a large part of the French political class.
The President of the United States Donald Trump and the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced Sunday, July 26, having reached an agreement on customs duties, providing for taxation of European exports at 15 %. An agreement which divides in Europe and which has sparked a real uproar in France. The political chessboard seems unanimous and did not fail to castigate, on Monday morning, an agreement experienced as an affront to the summit of the state.
The tenant of Matignon, François Bayrou, deplores “a dark day as that when an alliance of free peoples, gathered to assert their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission”, on X. Same bell on the side of Marc Fesneau, president of the Modem group in the National Assembly: “We did not build Europe and we are not ardent defenders of Europe to see our interests. Commercial (…) is clearly at the expense of Europe.
“We were not feared enough”, regrets Macron
But a reaction was long overdue, that of Emmanuel Macron. The President of the Republic preferred to wait three days to comment on this historic agreement between the EU and the USA, in the Council of Ministers, this Wednesday, July 30. “To be free, you have to be feared. We have not been feared enough,” said the head of state, according to a source who participated in the Council of Ministers. “Europe is not yet seen enough as a power”, but “France has always held a position of firmness and requirement. It will continue to do so. This is not the end of history and we will not stay there. This is a first step in a negotiation process that will continue,” he said, relays AFP.
On the side of the opposition to the central block, the disappointment is great, and the anger clearly visible. “Everything has been sold to Trump. Customs rights, purchase obligation, 5 % tax on GDP: liberalism, free and non-distorted competition and the other rules of the Lisbon Treaty are a bad joke,” lands the LFI leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “The UE-State agreement is a shame. He gives the point to Trump by submitting to his conditions,” regrets the boss of the PS, Olivier Faure, still on X. Marine Le Pen, she deplores a “political, economic and moral fiasco (…) The least of things would be to recognize this stinging failure rather than asking the French, who will be the first victims,” she adds. “
As a reminder, this agreement concluded between the EU and the United States could seriously impact sectors such as automotive, luxury or food. On the other hand, aeronautics chemistry and spirits will be exempt from this new level of taxation. The former Minister of Foreign Affairs and presidential candidate of 2027, Dominique de Villepin denounces an “unequal treaty where one pays for customs duties up to 15 % but the other”. “It is illusory to believe that Donald Trump will stop his claims there in the face of a Europe from which he despises sovereignty,” he explains.
“This agreement should not be the end of history”
Only some members of the French government seemed to put some water in their wine when commenting on this historic agreement on customs duties between the EU and the USA. “Some important sectors for European industry, such as aeronautics, such as spirits, should be exempt,” said the Minister of Industry, Marc Ferracci on RTL. For Laurent Saint-Martin, Minister responsible for foreign trade, “this agreement should not be the end of history. Otherwise we will simply be weakened,” he warns. The latter calls Brussels to “work without delay on support procedures for weakened sectors”. The Minister Delegate in charge of Europe, Benjamin Haddad, welcomes him that the agreement lets out “key sectors for the French economy”, like that of drugs, among others.
An opinion shared by Emmanuel Macron, Wednesday July 30 in the Council of Ministers: “The agreement has the merit of offering visibility and short -term predictability. It preserves French and European interests: exemptions from customs duties for some of our major exporting sectors including aeronautics, no concession for our agricultural sectors, no questioning of our regulatory autonomy, our health and environmental standards. Commission has watched over it, “he said, comments relayed by AFP. Finally, for Medef, “this agreement illustrates the difficulty that the EU still asserts the power of its economy and the importance of its internal market”, even “if it is a lesser evil”. “Europe cannot be the adjustment variable for American and Chinese policies,” wrote the union in a letter transmitted to AFP.
Wednesday, July 30, at the beginning of the afternoon, the Minister of the Economy, Eric Lombard, and that of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, receive in Bercy “the economic sectors” to evoke “the consequences” of the agreement between Trump and Von der Leyen. This meeting brings together employers’ organizations and federations representing industrial sectors “impacted by American customs duties”, specifies the ministry.
