“EU was wrong to target American whiskey” - French PM calls for resolving trade disputes
The European Union was wrong to target American whiskey when it retaliated against U.S. tariffs, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said. He also called for further talks to avoid imposing duties on France's cognac industry.
US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all alcoholic products from the EU if the bloc does not lift a planned tax on American whiskey.
"Have some missteps been made? Yes, probably, because Kentucky whiskey has been included as if it were a trade threat," Bayrou said of the EU's proposed tariffs in response to US duties on steel and aluminium. "A very old list of products has been taken without being properly checked," he said.
Trump's threat against EU wine and spirits has caused concern among European producers who rely on exports, including French cognac producers, already hit by Beijing's tariffs, following EU taxes on Chinese electric cars.
Bayrou, who met with representatives of the cognac industry a few days ago, said he hoped talks with Washington and Beijing would resolve the dispute over tariffs.
The first round of EU countermeasures against US goods, including whiskey, will take effect on April 1. Bayrou, meanwhile, is expected to visit China in March to discuss the cognac issue.
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