Macron Urges EU Firms to Halt U.S. Investments After Trump Tariff Hike
Paris – French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged European companies to suspend planned investments in the United States following the announcement of sweeping new tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Durng a meeting with representatives from French industry, Macron criticized the tariffs as “brutal and unfounded,” warning they posed a serious threat to international trade. “Investments to come or investments announced in recent weeks should be suspended until things are clarified with the United States,” Macron stated.
The call for restraint comes just weeks after French shipping giant CMA CGM unveiled plans to invest $20 billion in the U.S. to expand logistics and terminal operations—an initiative publicly praised by President Trump during his tariff announcement on Wednesday.
Additionally, French multinational Schneider Electric recently pledged $700 million to support U.S. energy infrastructure, aiming to power the country’s rapidly growing artificial intelligence sector. Both companies declined to comment on Macron’s remarks.
Macron emphasized that all possible responses to the U.S. tariffs remain on the table, including invoking the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument—designed to shield the bloc from aggressive trade practices—and exploring countermeasures targeting digital services and financial flows linked to the American economy.
“The response this time will be more powerful than our previous retaliation to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs,” Macron said, signaling a hardening of Europe’s trade stance. He added that the EU must address the issue “industry by industry” to ensure a strong and measured response.
The developing trade rift signals growing economic tensions between the two long-time allies, with implications for global markets and transatlantic investment.
(Reporting by Dominique Patton, Gus Trompiz, and GV De Clercq. Editing by Makini Brice and Alexandra Hudson)
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Macron Urges EU Firms to Halt U.S. Investments After Trump Tariff Hike