French PM criticizes EU's US tariff strategy

French Prime Minister François Bayrou criticized the European Union for mistakenly targeting American bourbon in its retaliation against U.S. tariffs, stating that Kentucky bourbon has been unfairly treated as a trade threat. Bayrou called for dialogue to prevent further damaging tariffs on France's cognac industry, which is already suffering from separate trade tensions with China. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on all wines and alcoholic products from the EU if the planned tax on U.S. bourbon is implemented. Bayrou emphasized that the European Commission used an outdated product list without proper review in determining its counter-tariff strategy. He expressed concern that the cognac sector could become collateral damage in the escalating trade war between the U.S. and the EU, especially given existing pressures from China. The first round of EU counter-tariffs is set to take effect on April 1.