Donald Trump has threatened France with 200% tariffs on its wine and Champagne in bid to persuade Emmanuel Macron to join his ‘Board of Peace’.
The new body has been set up to solve global conflicts, such as the war in Gaza, and will be chaired by the US President.
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However, Macron is reportedly set to reject an invitation to join the initiative, his office told Reuters.
In a video interview, broadcast by Reuters today (20 January), Trump was asked about his response to Macron declining the invitation.
He said: “Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon.
“If they feel like hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and Champagnes and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join.”
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By GlobalDataEU wines and spirits have already had a 15% tariff from the US since August.
Speaking to French television network TF1 Info this morning on the prospect of another tariff, France’s Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard said: “This is an unacceptable threat of unprecedented brutality and obviously cannot go unanswered. Not only from France but from the entire European Union.
“And then this threat, it targets a particular sector, namely viticulture, which does not need it because it is experiencing difficulties and which at the same time is a jewel of French agriculture.”
When asked what the country “can or should do”, Genevard said: “Firstly, it should be noted that between the United States and the European Union there is an economic project to reduce customs duties on €93bn ($109bn) worth of American goods that could come onto European soil. This transatlantic agreement has not yet been ratified.
She added: “I am telling you about the forces at play. The American president, and indeed the Americans, also have a lot to lose in this power struggle.
“And then Europe, moreover under the French presidency, equipped itself with an anti-coercion tool which could be even more serious against American interests.”
Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, secretary general at Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins, said the European wine trade association would not comment directly on Trump’s latest comments.
“The discussions are geopolitical in nature and relate to the broader relationship between the European Union and the United States. They cannot be assessed on a sector-by-sector basis,” he told Just Drinks.
“Tariffs are never good news and are not an effective solution for resolving international tensions. Even when presented as comments, statements by the US President must be taken seriously but they should also be approached with restraint and a sense of proportion.
“We expect to have greater clarity in the coming days, when US and European leaders engage in discussions.”
Just Drinks has approached Fédération des Exportateurs de Vins & Spiritueux de France for comment.
In a post on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump said the US would impose another tariff on a group of European countries amid the dispute over the future of Greenland.
From 1 February, Trump plans to levy a 10% tariff on goods from eight countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland – who have opposed his bid to acquire Greenland. The tariff would rise to 25% from 1 June until an agreement is reached for the US to buy the island.
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