On the second day of his presidency, Donald Trump pledged to impose tariffs on the European Union. From now on, the EU “must be capable of responding” to these threats, France retorts.
“L’European Union is very bad for us.” This statement was signed Donald Trump, new president of the United States, during a press conference held on Tuesday, January 22. “They treat us very badly. They don’t take our cars or our agricultural products. In fact, they don’t take much,” continues the Republican. This is why a radical decision was taken: European countries (including France) will be subject to customs duties, the “only way”, to the USA to be “treated correctly”, according to the 47th current president.
“Little China”, “big aggressors”… The EU singled out
Although these threats are not new, they could now be carried out. During his campaign, Donald Trump had already mentioned a “trade deficit of 350 billion dollars” with the EU, comparing the union to a “little China” which “profits” from the world’s leading economic power. “China is aggressive, but it’s not just China, other countries are also major aggressors,” he adds. So, which countries are targeted? Mainly four: Germany, Italy, Ireland and France, while the United States’ trade deficit with the EU amounted to $131 billion in 2023, according to data from the White House Trade Representative (USTR)
For our German neighbors, the advantage is mainly industrial. On the Irish side, it is linked to the installation of the European headquarters of large American groups on Celtic soil, particularly in Dublin for several years due to attractive taxation. “The election of Trump is not good news for Europe. It means an increase in protectionism, with a considerable increase in customs duties,” explained Christian de Boissieu, professor of economics at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne at Le Figaro, last November. Bingo, now we are there.
“We will remain firm on our principles,” assures Ursula von der Leyen
During his campaign, Donald Trump had (already) affirmed his desire to impose customs surcharges of 10 to 20% on all products imported into the United States, a significant increase given the 3.3% applied on average to date. across the Atlantic. A threat which now seems well-ripe in Trump’s mind. As a reminder, during his first mandate, he imposed customs duties on certain European products, as retaliation against Brussels – after a conflict with Washington – due to the respective subsidies dedicated to the two main aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus.
Monday January 20, upon the inauguration of Donald Trump, the European Commissioner for the Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis assured that the EU was “ready to defend its economic interests, as we already did during the first Trump government when “He introduced customs duties on steel and aluminum.” A position shared by the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, the following day at the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland: “Our first priority is to quickly begin discussions on our common interests and to be ready to negotiate (…) we will be pragmatic but we will remain firm on our principles: the defense of our interests and respect for our values,” she insisted.
The French Minister of Foreign Trade raises his voice
This Wednesday, Donald Trump’s statements did not fail to provoke a reaction from the French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Laurent Saint-Martin. At the microphone of France Info and France Inter, he believes that “the election of Donald Trump” must be “a kick in the rear for Europe”. According to him, if the preservation of “good bilateral trade relations with a country that we know, well, which is an allied country, a friendly country” is necessary, this must be done “without naivety”. “A trade war would not be in anyone’s interest, starting with the United States,” the French minister now warns.
The EU “must be able to respond” to threats from Donald Trump, while proposing “a positive agenda”, he also indicated. “We must also look at this with a form of serenity, but a combative look, that is to say an awareness that Europe must unite in order to be stronger, more powerful and assert itself as a power economic, what it is (…) But for that, it must be demonstrated,” he concludes.