The threat is clear, brutal, and fully deliberate: tariffs of up to 200% on French wines and champagnes. In just a few statements, the U.S. president has reminded those in international trade of a stark reality: commercial exchanges have become a political lever in their own right.

The origin of this announcement is not a typical trade dispute. It occurs in a very specific diplomatic context: France’s refusal to join a new international body proposed by Washington, presented as a “Peace Council.” Paris considers this initiative incompatible with the principles of multilateralism and the functioning of the United Nations. The American response is unambiguous: turning a diplomatic disagreement into a targeted economic threat.

The situation took a new turn on Saturday, January 17, when Donald Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on goods from eight European countries — Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. These tariffs will start at 10% from February 1, rising to 25% from June 1, and will remain in place until the United States is allowed to purchase Greenland. This measure, targeting multiple European economies in an unprecedented manner, turns a bilateral dispute into a continental issue.

In France, the reaction has been firm. The government denounces what it sees as interference and the use of tariffs as a political pressure tool. The agricultural sector, directly affected, describes a deliberate power play and calls on Europe to stop being subjected to such brinkmanship. Behind the dramatic announcements, entire sectors find themselves exposed. A tax of this magnitude would have immediate consequences. For French producers, the American market would become largely inaccessible due to a lack of price competitiveness. For American importers and distributors, the supply would shrink drastically. And for the end consumer, the result is simple: higher prices or products simply absent from shelves. Such measures do not only punish one exporting country—they disrupt an entire value chain.

Beyond the case of wines and spirits, this episode illustrates a broader trend: the rise of unapologetic protectionism, used as a tool of geopolitical negotiation. Trade is no longer merely a space governed by rules and agreements; it has become a field of direct confrontation. Tariffs have become political messages, delivered in percentages.

For Europe, the stakes are now strategic. It is not just a matter of responding to a single threat, but of establishing a credible and coordinated capacity to react. Defending its producers, protecting consumers, and asserting a coherent diplomatic line. Without this, such tensions risk becoming the norm rather than the exception.