EU reconsidering American whiskey tariffs amid Trump's wine threat
French Prime Minister François Bayrou said the European Union might have mistakenly targeted American whiskey in response to the United States tariffs. Bayrou called for discussions to avoid further harmful tariffs that could impact the French cognac industry.
According to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to impose a 200-percent tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products from the EU if the Union does not drop the planned tax on American bourbon.
Bayrou noted that "certain mistakes were made" because Kentucky bourbon was included as if it posed a trade threat, referring to the tariffs proposed by the EU in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The French Prime Minister, François Bayrou, stated in a Sunday interview on "France Inter" radio that "an ancient list of products was reinstated without proper verification."
In his opinion, the European Union might have made a mistake by targeting American whiskey.
Reuters points out that Trump's threat regarding European wines and alcoholic beverages has caused concern among European producers who rely on exports. These include French cognac producers, who have already been affected by tariffs imposed by Beijing in a separate dispute over EU tariffs on Chinese electric cars.
