Reuters and AFP, PARIS and WASHINGTONFrance and the EU are ready to fight back against US tariff threats on French products, French government ministers said yesterday. French Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire described the US proposals as “unacceptable.”“In case of new American sanctions, the European Union would be ready to riposte,” Le Maire told Radio Classique. “The USTR is focused on countering the growing protectionism of EU member states, which unfairly targets US companies, whether through digital services taxes or other efforts that target leading US digital services companies,” he said. In an interview on Monday prior to the USTR announcement, Le Maire accused Washington of losing interest in such a deal. “Having demanded an international solution from the OECD, it [Washington] now isn’t sure it wants one,” Le Maire told France Inter radio.
