French PM joins other ministers in slamming EU-US trade deal as ‘sombre day for Europe’

French Prime Minister François Bayrou on Monday said the framework trade deal struck at the weekend between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump marked a “sombre day” for Europe.

“It is a sombre day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,” wrote Bayrou on X.

Other French ministers have slammed the deal too, including the European affairs minister and the industry minister.

“The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced,” wrote French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad on X.

Read moreKey takeaways from the EU-US trade deal

That view was echoed by France’s industry minister Marc Ferracci, who said more talks – which could last weeks or months – would be needed before the deal could be formally concluded.

Ferracci told RTL radio that more needed to be done in terms of rebalancing the EU’s trade relations with the US.

“This is not the end of the story,” Ferracci told RTL.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)