French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the newly signed EU-US trade deal, stating that the bloc was not “feared enough” during negotiations, according to sources cited by Euractiv.
The agreement, concluded on Sunday during talks between US President Donald Trump and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, sets a 15% tariff on the majority of EU exports to the US. As part of the deal, Brussels also committed to investing $600 billion in the US economy and buying $750 billion in American energy over the next three years. The US, however, will not face any EU tariffs on its exports.
“To be free, you have to be feared, and we haven’t been feared enough,” Macron told the Council of Ministers in Paris on Wednesday, according to two attendees present during the meeting.
Macron reportedly expressed regret that the EU “does not yet see itself sufficiently as a power.” He urged Brussels to “work tirelessly” to rebalance its relationship with Washington.
The French president also called for an acceleration of the “European agenda on sovereignty and competitiveness,” in what some have interpreted as a veiled critique of von der Leyen’s leadership and priorities, Euractiv reported.
“France has always maintained a firm and demanding stance. This is not the end of the story, the negotiation has to continue,” Macron added.
Government spokesperson Sophie Primas later confirmed at a press conference that Macron welcomed elements of the deal, particularly the increased visibility it offers to French businesses. However, she emphasized that the president considered the agreement “incomplete.”
Criticism of the deal has continued to mount within the French government. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou described it as a “submission” on Monday, while several ministers have questioned both its content and the process behind it.
“We would have preferred that these negotiations take place in an official setting and not in a private golf course in Scotland,” Primas said, calling the location “unusual.”
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