France on brink of crisis as Trump threatens to quadruple duty on wine – 'We can't cope!'

France and the United States have been embroiled in an ongoing trade war which is now threatening to cripple the French wine sector. US President Donald Trump hit Paris with a series of 25 percent duties on selected French wine in response to unfair support to Airbus as well as to protest a proposed digital levy on US companies. But despite an apparent defusion of tension between France and the US later last year, the US President has kept his threat to quadruple tariffs on French imports alive unless Emmanuel Macron gives up plans to hit US tech giants with a new digital tax. 

French winemakers have voiced their worry at the prospect of further duties, with Languedoc Wine Association President Miren De Lorgeril admitting the industry “would not cope” with further tariffs.

Speaking to France 24, Ms de Lorgeril said: “Those 25 percent tariffs are already unacceptable.

“We can’t cope with something like that in the long run because it affects a major part of our exports.

“Some wine producers are really dependant on the US market.”

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Donald Trump slapped a 25 percent tariff on selected EU wines in October 2019 in response to allegedly unfair Airbus subsidies and is now threatening to quadruple tariffs to 100 percent on all wines.

The US President has also threatened to put a 100 percent import duty on French champagne and other goods to push Emmanuel Macron into withdrawing his proposed digital tax on US companies.

Winemaker Gerard Bertrand admitted a new swathe of tariffs would have serious repercussions on the industry as a whole.

Mr Bertrand said: “We hope it doesn’t last a long time because if the prices of our products are raised too much, obviously, we will lose our market share.

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