A recent trade deal between the United States and the European Union has sparked intense debate, with French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou condemning the agreement as a “dark day” and tantamount to “submission.”
The deal, struck between US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, sets a baseline tariff of 15% on EU exports to the US. Bayrou expressed his discontent on social media, stating, “It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resorts to submission.”
Other French politicians have also voiced their criticism. Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, wrote, “Ursula von der Leyen accepted yesterday the commercial surrender of Europe, to the detriment of our exporters, farmers, and industrialists.”
Marine Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate and colleague of Bardella, criticized the deal as “a political, economic and moral fiasco.” Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, a Macron ally in parliament, echoed similar sentiments, saying the European Commission “failed to create the power dynamics needed properly to defend European interests” and that the deal sends a “signal of weakness” to competitors.
The French finance ministry has announced plans to discuss the consequences of the deal with major economic players, with Finance Minister Eric Lombard and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot set to meet on Wednesday. The deal has drawn criticism across the French political spectrum, with the Socialist Party saying the EU appears cast as a US “vassal” and far-left France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon advocating for “non-submission to the (US) Empire and non-alignment.”
Despite the criticism, stock markets rose in Europe and Asia on hopes that the agreement can avert a potentially damaging trade war. The deal’s implications for various sectors and industries remain to be seen, but one thing is certain – the controversy surrounding the EU-US trade deal will continue to unfold.