Customs tariff agreement: François Bayrou denounces the European Union's "submission" to the United States
On his X account, the Prime Minister strongly criticized the agreement signed on Sunday between the President of the European Commission and Donald Trump, which imposes a 15% tax on European products exported to the United States.
By Le Parisien with AFPHe doesn't mince his words. This Monday morning, a few hours after the first French statements on the subject , the Prime Minister wanted to be scathing.
On his X account, he reacted to the trade agreement signed the day before between the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
For François Bayrou, Sunday was a "dark day" because the European Union, "an alliance of free peoples, gathered to affirm (its) values and defend (its) interests" resolved to "submit" to the American giant.
The agreement reached on Sunday between Brussels and Washington sets US tariffs on European products at 15% and implies that the EU commits to $750 billion in energy purchases - aimed in particular at replacing Russian gas - and $600 billion in additional investments in the United States.
In the absence of a trade agreement, Donald Trump threatened to implement a 30% tariff increase on imports from the Old Continent starting August 1st. The signing of the agreement thus provoked relief and resignation among European countries. But France, for its part, is more critical. Brussels' desire was to "avoid entering into an escalatory logic" with Washington, while Paris's position "is to assume more of a standoff," described the Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Laurent Saint-Martin, on France Inter this Monday.
Le Parisien
