French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz unite at a meeting in Paris on Wednesday as Europe struggles to respond with one voice to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump I tried to project.
Trump, who also threatened Canada, Mexico and China with heavy lifting, said on Tuesday that Europe is suffering from a trade surplus with the United States “because of tariffs.”
In a press statement before a lunch at the Erice Palace, both Macron and Scholz insisted that Europe is a strong one and that the Franco-German tandem is solid and expects difficulties.
“President Trump, that’s already clear, that’s a challenge,” Scholz said. “Our position is clear. Europe is a large economic region with about 450 million citizens. We are strong. We will stand together. Europe will not duck and hide.”
Macron has long pushed for Europe to become more independent.
“Now more than ever, with the new administration in the United States in place, it is necessary for Europeans and our two countries to play a role in consolidating a united, strong and sovereign Europe,” he said.
The two leaders cited the steel, auto and chemical sectors – possible targets for US tariffs – as important to Europe’s economy.
Business relationship with Trump
Some business leaders and analysts have provided evidence that Trump’s first term has exposed threats of tariffs and other measures as leverage, without ultimately implementing them. It states that
But others fear he will be emboldened by a strong popular mandate and more support in both houses of Congress.
“The European Union is very bad for us,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “So they’re going to go in for tariffs. That’s the only way… you’re going to be fair.”
Many EU countries have export-oriented economies. Already facing higher energy costs due to the war in Ukraine and a slowdown in trade with China, they have not entertained the idea of a new front with the US
“We have entered a new phase of negotiations with the United States,” French government spokeswoman Sophie Primus told reporters before the meeting. “Our relationship with President Trump is a transaction. We have to be determined just like America. We have to show our strength.”
Both Macron, who lost snap elections last year and had four prime ministers in 2024 alone, and Scholz, who is chasing his conservative rival in polls ahead of next month’s German elections, are at home in politics. is weakened.
The pair have differed on a number of issues in recent years, slowing decision-making in the EU and leaving a leadership vacuum that EU institutions are struggling to fill.
“Franco-German relations are very strong and have to warm up very quickly,” a French government source said. “Europe will not restart without a strong Franco-German couple.”
But while Germany’s leading politicians are calling for a free trade agreement between Europe and the US, France says the EU must reject economic coercion and apply anti-enforcement measures if attacked. I say.
(France 24)