France ‘ready for this trade war’published at 09:14 British Summer Time

09:14 BST

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Sophie Primas in black blazer and hot pink blouse sitting down on a stage delivering a speech. She's a middle-aged woman with medium cropped brown hair with blonde highlights and black glassesImage source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Sophie Primas said the EU had to remain strong and united on its response

France, like the rest of Europe, is grappling with a new trade reality this morning but, in the words of government spokeswoman Sophie Primas: “We are ready for this trade war.”

The European Union’s 27 member states are facing tariffs across the board of 20% and higher tariffs on some sectors such as cars. While the EU says it remains open to negotiation, its first response will come in mid-April to US 25% tariffs on aluminium and steel.

Then, says Sophie Primas, a second response will come targeting all US goods and services. That response is still under discussion, she has told RTL Radio, but “the union must be strong, it must be united for this”.

If US services are targeted, then some of the biggest names in digital services could be affected, such as Meta, Google, Microsoft and Apple.

Primas described Trump’s announcement as “a heavy blow for the global economy, for the European economy and for the French economy in particular”. Before his announcement came, the government in Paris had already revised down expected growth this year to 0.7%.

The wine and spirits sector in particular is likely to be hit. The head of one of the main wine organisations, Jérôme Bauer, has warned of a net loss of €1bn (£835m) to France’s wine industry.