The European Commission said on Thursday that the European Commission approved a 5 billion euro ($5.6 billion) French plan to promote the export of wine and spirits to the United States. The commission said the temporary plan approved under EU national aid rules will be developed from May 8 to July 8, 2025 and will help exporters of wine and spirits export stocks to the United States before the new tariffs take effect.
The United States is the largest French wine and spirits market, with goods in the country rising 5% in 2024 to €3.8 billion.
French wine exporters say they want U.S. buyers for inventory during the three-month moratorium after U.S. President Donald Trump suspended plans to impose 20% tariffs on all EU imports.
The United States is the largest French wine and spirits market, with goods in the country rising 5% in 2024 to €3.8 billion.
French wine exporters say they want U.S. buyers for inventory during the three-month moratorium after U.S. President Donald Trump suspended plans to impose 20% tariffs on all EU imports.
The new plan is intended to allow wine and spirits exporters to ship them to the United States using a reinsurance mechanism that provides short-term guarantees for companies providing insurance against commercial and political risks.
If negotiations with Washington fail to remove a series of tariffs applied for by U.S. President Donald Trump, the committee approved France’s plan on the same day, a countermeasure to the U.S. import plan of up to 95 billion euros. In response to U.S. import taxes on cars and Trump’s broader “reciprocity” tariffs, new EU measures will target U.S. wine, bourbon and other spirits, and the drinking sector is expected to trigger retaliation from EU countries on U.S. alcohol exports.
