‘Dark day’: French PM says EU’s Trump trade deal is a ‘submission’
Global News
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou took to social media to criticize the deal, which would see an across the board 15 per cent tariff on most goods from Europe.
The European Union’s trade deal with the United States is “submission” to U.S. President Donald Trump and marks a “dark day” in the history of the bloc, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Monday.
Trump announced a trade deal between the U.S. and the EU on Sunday after meeting with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.
Bayrou took to social media to criticize the deal, which would see an across the board 15 per cent tariff on most goods from Europe.
“Von der Leyen-Trump Agreement: it is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,” Bayrou posted in French on the social media platform X.
The response from French government officials stands in contrast to some other European nations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal.
“We have been able to safeguard our core interests,” Merz said in a statement on Monday.
On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron has not reacted to the announcement of a trade deal, while other senior French officials have been cautious in their reactions.
“The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,” French deputy minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad said in a statement on X.
