ISTANBUL, July 13 — French President Emmanuel Macron voiced "strong disapproval" of 30 per cent United States (US) tariffs for the European Union (EU) and called for accelerating the preparation of "credible countermeasures", Anadolu Ajansi reported.
"Along with the President of the European Commission, France shares the same very strong disapproval at the announcement of horizontal 30 per cent tariffs on EU exports to the United States from August 1st," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
Macron reiterated the need for the Commission to "assert" the bloc's "determination" to uphold European interests "resolutely."
"In particular, this implies speeding up the preparation of credible countermeasures, by mobilising all the instruments at its disposal, including anti-coercion, if no agreement is reached by August 1st," he noted.
Macron expressed France's "full support" to the negotiations that "will intensify" to reach a mutually acceptable agreement by Aug 1, "reflecting the respect that trading partners like the European Union and the United States owe each other, with their shared interests and integrated value chains."
Earlier, Trump announced that the US will impose 30 per cent tariffs on the EU and Mexico starting August 1, putting US-EU trade talks at risk, as the bloc had aimed to finalise a comprehensive trade deal this month.
In a post on Truth Social, he shared separate letters addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, announcing a 30 per cent tariff on goods bound for the US from Europe and Mexico.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen then voiced readiness to work towards an agreement with the US by August 1 and vowed to take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including adopting proportionate countermeasures.
— Bernama
