“I’m Not Saying It Will Be Easy”: French Minister Admits Uphill Battle for Wine Sector

In a moment of candid political realism, France’s Minister for Trade, Laurent Saint-Martin, admitted the government faces an uphill battle to win tariff exemptions for its wine sector. His statement, “I’m not saying it will be easy or that it’ll happen next week,” is a clear message to the industry to temper its expectations for a quick fix.
This admission came as the minister tried to reassure a “hugely disappointed” wine industry that “the story isn’t over.” While he pointed to clauses in the US-EU deal that could allow for “additional exemptions,” his cautious tone betrayed the difficulty of renegotiating a pact that has just been agreed upon.
The French government is now in the unenviable position of having to publicly challenge parts of a deal that its European partners have accepted. This requires a delicate diplomatic dance: lobbying for French interests without being seen as undermining the broader EU agreement or antagonizing Washington.
For the French wine and spirits sector, which exports €8 billion of alcohol to the US, the minister’s words are a mix of faint hope and harsh reality. While the government is publicly committed to their cause, the path to actual tariff relief appears to be long, uncertain, and fraught with diplomatic obstacles.