Customs duties: Emmanuel Macron's trip to the United States is "an important element", believes the federation of wine and spirits exporters

While the Paris Agricultural Show is taking place and Emmanuel Macron is in the United States to meet Donald Trump, three years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the wine and spirits industry is not hiding its concerns. "The trip of the President of the Republic to the United States, for us, is an important element in trying to find a transatlantic relationship that is peaceful," Nicolas Ozanam, general delegate of the Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters, said on France Inter on Monday, February 24. Industry professionals are still waiting to hear about the customs duties that the United States could or could not impose on Europe .

"In everything we can read, hear, see, for the moment, no one is escaping anything and at the same time no one is specifically targeted," explains Nicolas Ozanam, who speaks of a "phase of uncertainty." "Announcements are made every day, retreats are made every day. So, he adds, we are paying close attention to what might happen."

Nicolas Ozanam points out that "exports to the United States [of wines and spirits] are worth around 3.7 billion euros in 2024, which is around a quarter of the value of our exports". Professionals in the sector are therefore trying "to do everything" they can "to avoid finding themselves in a particularly painful situation".