France’s Finance and Economy Minister Eric Lombard called the escalating US-EU trade war “idiotic” on Friday, March 14, and said he would soon travel to the United States after Washington threatened huge tariffs against French wine and champagne.
“We need to talk to the Americans to bring the tension back down,” Lombard told the television channel France 2. “By doing this, the United States is hurting itself,” Lombard said, describing what he called an “idiotic war.”
US President Donald Trump has launched trade wars against competitors and partners alike since taking office, wielding tariffs as a tool to pressure countries on commerce and other policy issues. On Thursday, the billionaire Republican president threatened to impose 200% tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from France and other European Union countries. Europe exported nearly $5.2 billion worth of wine and champagne to the United States in 2023, according to the World Trade Organization.
Trump’s threat was a response to the EU’s Wednesday announcement of $28 billion in tariffs on US goods, including bourbon, boats and motorbikes, which would start in stages from April. That followed US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which took effect the same day.
Meeting with his US counterparts
Lombard said he would travel to the United States “in the coming days” to meet with US counterparts.
Lombard and Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin had a “frank and clear” phone conversation with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Thursday, the French economy ministry said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, that the European Union would defend European interests but was also “open to negotiations” with the United States over escalating tariffs between the two economic superpowers.
