The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who has just finished a visit to the United States that he considers a “success” because European complaints to the climate plan of his American counterpart, Joe Biden, have been heard, wants Washington to accept ” exemptions” for EU products before the device of massive subsidies to “made in USA”.
“We want to have exemptions, like others have, so that our products can be chosen”, he explained Macron in an interview recorded in New Orleans, the last leg of his trip to the United States, which will be broadcast this Saturday on French television TF1.
The French president discussed in Washington with Biden the implications for the European Union (EU) of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) adopted in August, which contemplates about ,000 millions of dollars of public money to accelerate the energy transition, with aid conditional on it occurring in the United States os.
He noted that this device can cause reversals who were initially scheduled in the EU move to the United States to benefit from this aid, and for this reason they ask for exemptions, but also to be able to “examine these subsidies on a case-by-case basis”. there is imbalance, that competition is fair”, he explained after having recognized that the Europeans with the covid crisis have also launched a massive investment package, but -he pointed out- “not so fast” and that “creates differences”.
At the end of the Macron-Biden meeting on Thursday, the White House made it clear that there will be no changes to the IRA, although it will try to “accommodate the concerns” expressed by France and Germany.
Macron, in his interview on French television, wanted to present this state visit as “a success” because in his opinion He was the first European who has clearly said the things that worry him about his climate package and he has conveyed the message that this law, which is “good” for Biden, “is not a bad text for us”.
Beyond launching the discussions, the French president stressed that now we Europeans “have to be more effective” to do something equivalent, which means “investing more” and doing it “as Europeans”.
Specifically, he insisted that more hydrogen must be produced as energy for the energy transition, more batteries, more semiconductors or betting more on artificial intelligence.
He affirmed that the new rules on the national preference of the IRA “are doing us a lot of harm” because French and European companies Those with whom he speaks tell him that the investment plans they had in the Old Continent will not be carried out there given the US incentives.
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