PARIS — French Prime Minister François Bayrou expressed his concerns on Sunday regarding the European Commission’s decision to impose tariffs on American products, including bourbon, amidst a growing trade conflict between Washington and Brussels. He questioned the rationale behind targeting specific products, suggesting it may not effectively address the broader issues at play.
In an interview with France Inter, Bayrou remarked,
“Have some missteps been made? Yes, probably, because Kentucky bourbon has been included as if it were a trade threat.”
His remarks come on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump initiating a new trade war by imposing a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports last week, which has since escalated tensions between the two regions.
Escalating trade war and retaliatory measures
In retaliation for Trump’s tariffs, the European Commission announced on Wednesday it would reintroduce tariffs on a selection of iconic American products, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, jeans, and bourbon. Trump promptly responded, threatening to impose a staggering 200 percent tariff on all wines, champagne, and alcoholic beverages imported from France and other EU nations.
Bayrou criticized the European Commission’s choice of products for retaliation, stating that they appeared to have relied on an outdated list without proper reassessment. He indicated that the decision to target bourbon may have provoked Trump’s retaliatory threats against the European alcohol sector.
“The European Commission reused a very old list without re-reading it, as it should have done,”
he stated.
Impact on French cognac producers
Furthermore, Bayrou highlighted the precarious position of France’s cognac industry, which he fears could once again become collateral damage in the transatlantic trade dispute. The cognac sector is already feeling the effects of an ongoing trade spat between the EU and China, following Beijing’s trade probe into European brandy imports last year as a countermeasure against EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
During a recent meeting with cognac producers, Bayrou remarked on their plight, stating,
“They are under the double fire of China on one side, and of the United States on the other.”
The ongoing situation with China is set to be a key focus for France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who is scheduled to travel to China before the end of March.