France Strongly Opposes US-EU '15%' Tariff Agreement

France has voiced opposition to the trade agreement reached with the European Union (EU) and the United States, which centers on a 15% tariff rate.

On July 28 (local time), French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou criticized on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "This is a truly bleak day?a day when a union of free people, a community united to protect its values and interests, has ultimately surrendered."

Laurent Saint-Martin, Minister for Foreign Trade, also appeared on Radio France Inter that morning and described the agreement as "imbalanced." He specifically stated that France would demand a "restoration of balance" in the services sector. The services sector mentioned by Minister Saint-Martin is an area in bilateral trade where the United States has a surplus.

Benjamin Haddad, Minister for European Affairs, also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "By reaching an agreement with the United States, the EU Commission may provide temporary stability to economic actors threatened by tariff increases, but the deal is imbalanced." He added, "While this agreement exempts tariffs on France's core industries?such as aerospace, alcoholic beverages, and pharmaceuticals?it includes no concessions from the United States regarding our vulnerable agricultural sector."