European wine industry leaders said on Tuesday that United States President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on French wine if Paris does not join the “Board of Peace” for Gaza must be handled “with composure”, insisting the issue goes beyond the wine sector itself.
The wine and spirits sector has been at the centre of EU-US trade tensions since Trump’s return to power in 2025, with the US remaining the top export market for EU producers.
Negotiations over exemptions from the 15% US tariffs imposed under last summer’s EU-US trade deal had been dragging on, before the agreement itself was thrown into question this weekend by MEPs after Trump renewed his threats over Greenland.
“These are geopolitical issues that go beyond the sectoral stakes of wines and spirits,” the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS) said in a statement published on Tuesday. “As regards trade policy, this is an exclusive competence of the European Union. The issue must therefore be addressed at the European level, in a united and coordinated manner, and spoken with a single voice.”
Trump escalated tensions on Monday night, threatening a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron said France “does not intend” to accept an invitation to join the Gaza “Board of Peace” Trump is proposing.
