French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticised the use of tariffs by powerful nations, describing them as a form of "blackmail" rather than a tool for rebalancing international trade. His remarks, delivered on Monday at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, come as the European Union navigates sensitive trade negotiations with the United States ahead of a July 9 deadline.
While he did not specifically name the United States or U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr Macron's comments were made in the context of ongoing global trade tensions. "We need to restore freedom and equity to international trade, much more than barriers and tariffs, which are devised by the strongest, and which are often used as instruments of blackmail, not at all as instruments of rebalancing," he stated.
The French leader also called for a re-evaluation and strengthening of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to align its objectives with global efforts to combat inequality and climate change. He condemned the current climate of trade disputes, adding: "Bringing back a trade war and tariffs at this moment in the life of the planet is an aberration, especially when I see the tariffs that are being imposed on countries that are just beginning their economic takeoff."
Mr Macron's remarks follow the imposition of sweeping global tariffs by Donald Trump in April, which initially ranged from 10 to 50 per cent on imports into the United States, though these were later mostly lowered for a 90-day period. The United Nations trade agency had previously warned that such tariffs could have a "catastrophic impact" on developing countries, with some of the world's least developed nations, including Lesotho, Cambodia, Laos, Madagascar, and Myanmar, facing some of the highest levies.
A vocal critic of Washington's tariff campaign, Mr Macron has also previously argued that it is an "aberration" to demand increased European defence spending while simultaneously engaging in a trade war.
