Finance
France says EU has the tools to hit back at Trump over tariffs, FT reports
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 21, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 21, 2026
Quick Summary
France told the FT that Brussels has tools to respond to Trump's new 10% global tariff after a Supreme Court ruling voided many prior levies. Options include the EU's anti-coercion 'trade bazooka' and suspended tariffs on over 90 billion euros in U.S. goods.
France: EU Ready to Hit Back at Trump's Tariffs with Trade Tools
EU Retaliation Tools Under Consideration
Feb 21 (Reuters) - Brussels has the tools to hit back at the United States for its latest round of tariffs, France's trade minister Nicolas Forissier told the Financial Times on Saturday.
Paris was in talks with EU counterparts and the European Commission over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose a flat global tariff of 10% after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that many of the existing tariffs he had levied on trading partners were illegal, Forissier said.
"Should it become necessary, the EU has the appropriate instruments at its disposal," Forissier told the FT.
Anti-Coercion Instrument ('trade bazooka')
The EU response could include options such as the "trade bazooka", an anti-coercion instrument (ACI) that could affect U.S. technology companies, the newspaper said, citing French officials.
Possible ACI Measures
The ACI has a broad range of powers from export controls to tariffs on services, as well as excluding U.S. companies from EU procurement contracts, it said.
Suspended €90B Tariffs Option
There is also a suspended package of retaliatory tariffs on more than 90 billion euros ($106 billion) of U.S. goods that could be deployed, the report added.
Exchange Rate Note
($1 = 0.8489 euros)
(Reporting by Ruchika Khanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Key Takeaways
- •France says Brussels has the tools to respond to a new 10% global U.S. tariff after a Supreme Court ruling voided many prior duties.
- •EU options include the Anti-Coercion Instrument (the 'trade bazooka') targeting U.S. tech, export controls, services tariffs and procurement bans.
- •A suspended package of retaliatory tariffs on more than 90 billion euros of U.S. goods could be activated.
- •Paris is coordinating with EU counterparts and the European Commission on a joint response.
- •Currency context cited: $1 = 0.8489 euros, as noted in the article.
Frequently Asked Questions about France says EU has the tools to hit back at Trump over tariffs, FT reports
1What is the main topic?
France says the EU has tools to retaliate against a new 10% global U.S. tariff announced after a Supreme Court ruling invalidated many of Trump's earlier levies.
2What is the EU's Anti-Coercion Instrument?
The Anti-Coercion Instrument, nicknamed the 'trade bazooka', is an EU tool that enables countermeasures such as tariffs, export controls, services restrictions and procurement bans.
3How might the EU retaliate against U.S. tariffs?
Measures under discussion include deploying the ACI to target U.S. tech and services, imposing export controls and activating a suspended package of tariffs on over 90 billion euros of U.S. goods.
