In response to the threat of new tariffs by US, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire criticized the proposals as “unacceptable”. He warned that EU would be “ready to riposte” to the tariffs. Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher also said France would be “pugnacious” in its dealings with US. And,
Late Monday, US Trade Representative said it’s considering to impose punitive tariffs of up to 100% on USD 2.4B of French champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, as response to the country’s new international digital services tax. USTR said such tax was “inconsistent with prevailing principles of international tax policy”.
