Macron on US tariff pause: "Fragile" and fails to solve the issue

French President Emmanuel Macron described the 90-day pause on US tariffs as "fragile" and stressed that it does not address the core issue of the trade dispute. 

In a statement shared on X, he said, "The partial suspension of American tariffs for 90 days is a signal and an open door for negotiation. However, this pause remains fragile", Caliber.Az reports.

La suspension partielle des tarifs américains pour 90 jours est un signal et une porte ouverte à la négociation.

Mais cette pause reste fragile.

Fragile, car les droits de 25% sur l’acier, l’aluminium et l’automobile et les tarifs à 10% sur tous les autres produits…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 11, 2025

Macron pointed out that while the pause is a step forward, the significant tariffs on steel, aluminium, and automobiles, as well as the 10% tariffs on all other products, remain in place. "These represent €52 billion for the European Union!" he added.

The French President also highlighted the uncertainty that the pause creates for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. "Fragile, because this 90-day pause means 90 days of uncertainty for all our businesses, on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond," he explained.

Macron reaffirmed the EU's goal of negotiating the removal of these tariffs and securing a balanced agreement. "With the Commission and in European unity, our objective remains simple: to negotiate the removal of these unjust tariffs and secure a balanced agreement, without asymmetry," he stated.

He emphasised the importance of a unified European response and further action to protect the EU market from third-country disruptions. "With the European Commission, we must remain strong: Europe must continue to work on all necessary countermeasures and mobilise all available levers to protect itself, including to prevent third-country flows from disrupting our market."

Macron also conveyed the concerns raised by French entrepreneurs and industrialists who have been directly impacted by the tariffs. "Just yesterday, I was with entrepreneurs and industrialists who were deeply concerned. The American tariffs strike at the heart of their businesses. We are right to fight: jobs and the livelihoods of our regions are at stake," he said.

He concluded by reaffirming Europe's commitment to defending its economic sovereignty and safeguarding jobs. "Together with the Europeans, we will do everything to protect our businesses and industries, everything to assert our economic sovereignty, everything to guarantee the future of our jobs," he declared.

​On April 9, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on most new U.S. tariffs, excluding a 10% baseline tariff for most countries and a 145% tariff on Chinese imports. This move temporarily alleviated market tensions, leading to a brief surge in global stock indices.

However, the pause did not apply to Canada and Mexico, whose goods remain subject to 25% fentanyl-related tariffs unless they comply with the U.S.- Mexico- Canada Agreement's rules of origin. China retaliated by raising its tariffs to 84% on U.S. goods and restricted imports of Hollywood films, deepening economic tensions.

By Aghakazim Guliyev