Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 16, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleFrench PM Bayrou believes EU's tariff on American bourbon is a mistake, urging talks to protect French cognac from further tariffs amid U.S. threats.
PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union was probably mistaken in targeting American whiskey in its riposte to U.S. tariffs, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Sunday, calling for talks to avoid more damaging duties on France's cognac industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all wines and other alcoholic products from the EU if the bloc does not scrap its planned tax on U.S. bourbon.
"Have some missteps been made? Yes, probably, because Kentucky bourbon has been included as if it were a trade threat," Bayrou said of the EU's proposed tariffs in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminium.
"A very old (product) list has been retrieved without it being checked like it should have been," he told France Inter radio.
Trump's threat against EU wine and spirits has caused dismay among European producers who rely on exports, including French cognac makers already hit with tariffs by Beijing in a separate row over EU duties on Chinese electric cars.
Bayrou, who met representatives of the cognac industry on Friday, said he hoped talks with Washington and Beijing would resolve the tariff dispute.
The EU's first round of counter-tariffs against U.S. goods including bourbon is due to take effect on April 1. Bayrou, meanwhile, is expected to visit China to discuss the cognac issue but no dates have been announced.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; editing by Giles Elgood)
The article discusses the EU's tariff on American bourbon and its potential impact on the French cognac industry.
Trump threatened a 200% tariff on EU wines and spirits if the EU doesn't remove its tax on U.S. bourbon.
The French cognac industry is concerned about potential tariffs from the U.S. and ongoing trade disputes.
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