Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Finance Minister of France Eric said the European Union should reach a “balanced deal” with the U.S. on customs tariffs. “We have negotiators who are playing hardball, we will play hardball but… we need to reach a balanced deal to protect our economies,” Lombard stated.
US President Donald Trump last week expressed the European Union had only been formed to “screw” the United States and an statement would follow for tariffs on Eureopan Union products of 25%.
In an interview with France Info radio, he said,
“We are in tough negotiations with a US government that we can see is very tough in its international relations.”
He also expressed his US counterpart Scott Bessent, whom he met, told him they could also “bargain down” in talks.
“We need to look at this with a cool head,”
The French minister also said.
“The European Union is the United States’ first market.”
How does France plan to balance defense spending?
Furthermore, French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said France must spend more on defence and faster, amid calls for European nations to increase more on defence as Washington threatens to pull back.
“We must go faster and harder,”
Lombard said.
Lombard’s statements come as France has been under stress to lower its deficit. Lombard expressed France would need to make actions elsewhere in order to properly finance boosts in defence spending, though the country’s welfare strategy would largely remain in place.
On the other hand, US tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian goods came into effect as a deadline to prevent them from passing without the neighboring countries striking a deal. The measure overlapped with Washington raising a previously inflicted 10% tariff on China to 20%.
Beyond the offered tariffs on EU products, Trump has inscribed orders to charge 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum from March 12. The European Union has pledged to retaliate with firm and proportional countermeasures.
