France slams EU-US trade pact ‘submission' amid relief and concern in Europe
The framework deal, announced on Sunday between two economies accounting for almost a third of global trade, will see the US impose a 15 per cent import tariff on most EU goods from next month, but offers some protection for critical industries like cars and pharmaceuticals.
That is half the rate Washington had threatened, though much more than Europeans hoped for.
US President Donald Trump, who has sought to leverage tariff threats to reshape global trade since returning to the White House this year, feted the accord on Sunday during a trip to Scotland, calling it 'the biggest deal ever made'.
France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has called the bloc's trade deal with the United States a 'dark day' for Europe. Photo: AFP
But France, Europe's second-largest economy, poured scorn on the agreement.
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