Iran Press/Europe: French Finance Minister 'Bruno Le Maire' said the European Union "would be ready to retaliate strongly" against US measures against the French products.
“We are ready to take this to an international court, notably the WTO because the national tax on digital companies touches U.S. companies in the same way as EU or French companies or Chinese. It is not discriminatory,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on France 3 Television, Iran Press reported.
US trade officials proposed a wave of tariffs on French goods last Monday as they released a report finding that a new French tax on digital services affecting large American tech companies such as Facebook (FB) and Google, represents a barrier to trade.
The list of proposed US tariffs covers dozens of products, including cheeses, beauty products, handbags and sparkling wines such as champagne. The move risks escalating transatlantic trade tensions after the United States already hit $7.5 billion worth of European goods, including French wine, Italian parmesan cheese, and Scotch whiskey in October over subsidies to planemaker Airbus (EADSF).
The European Commission backed France. Daniel Rosario, a spokesman, told reporters that the European Union would "act and react as one, and it will remain united."
Rosario said the European Union would seek immediate discussions with the United States on how to resolve the dispute and avoid a confrontation.
In August, the United States and France announced a compromise on the tax issue. Under the agreement, the United States would temporarily refrain from imposing new retaliatory trade measures on French products in connection with the digital services tax. That moratorium expired last week. 212/ 205
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