Customs duties: France disappointed with the EU-US agreement

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has taken a tough line against the United States in recent months, had not yet reacted on Monday, but his Prime Minister François Bayrou spoke of a "dark day" for Europe, which "is resigning itself to submission."

"This agreement should not be the end of the story, in which case we would simply have weakened ourselves," French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Laurent Saint-Martin said on France Inter.

"Now there will be a technical negotiation" and "we can use this sequence to strengthen ourselves," he added.

US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a customs agreement in Scotland on Sunday that will see European products exported to the United States subject to a 15% tariff.

Hoping to avoid a trade escalation, the EU has also committed to $750 billion in energy purchases - aimed in particular at replacing Russian gas - and $600 billion in additional investments in the United States.

In Paris, while it is conceded that this agreement will bring "stability" to businesses, there is particular emphasis on its "unbalanced" nature, according to the terms used by several members of the government.

"Our responsibility today is to ensure that this agreement is ultimately as unbalanced as possible," French Minister of Industry and Energy Marc Ferracci declared on RTL.

"Rebalancing"

Mr. Ferracci and Mr. Saint-Martin called for a "rebalancing" of services, particularly digital services, recalling that while the United States' trade balance with Europe is in deficit for goods, the balance of trade for services is in surplus.

Regarding trade in goods, France had a trade surplus of $16.4 billion with the United States in 2024, according to the Americans, but French Customs reported a deficit of €4.2 billion for the same period.

European negotiators will have to use "all the tools at their disposal" and in particular consider "limiting the access of American companies to European public markets," Mr. Ferracci insisted.

On the business side, the country's second largest employers' organization, the CPME, said it anticipated "disastrous repercussions" for small and medium-sized enterprises, while the ETI movement (METI) mentioned "particularly worrying consequences for mid-sized companies."

Depending on the sector, feelings are ambivalent.

"On the one hand, there is relief because this agreement provides visibility," Emmanuel Guichard, general delegate of the Federation of Beauty Companies (FEBEA), told AFP.

But "it's not a good deal for us simply because we had 0% customs duties in January towards the United States and now we're going to be at 15%," he added.

In the food industry, the employers' organization for the sector, Ania, denounced a "clearly unfair agreement (...) which weakens our position."

Only sectors that could benefit from a tariff exemption, such as aeronautics, have shown complete relief.

In a statement sent to AFP, Gifas (French Aeronautical and Space Industries Association) welcomed the exemption as "good for a balanced industry between France and the United States" and which will allow "the preservation of skilled jobs in France at all levels of the subcontracting chain."

Employers' organizations and federations of the economic sectors affected by this agreement will be received at Bercy on Wednesday.