“The United States is not apologizing,” Biden said Thursday (local time) at the White House during a joint press conference with Macron. He was responding to criticism from Europe, and especially from Macron, of a US law designed to boost US industry and give it preference over foreign competitors. But Biden said there are minor flaws in the law that can be discussed and resolved. Aside from this bone of contention, the presidents were very narrow-minded and also celebrated their alliance at a state banquet.
Dull shine
Macron is on a multi-day state visit to the United States. In contrast to regular working visits, this involves a lot of formal pomp and circumstance. The Frenchman is the first foreign guest in Biden’s tenure to receive this honor in nearly two years. However, the gloss has been marred somewhat by disagreements over economic policy: Macron has sharply criticized recent US decisions on the issue – especially the anti-inflation bill, which Biden in turn sees as one of the greatest successes of his tenure to date . .
The extensive legislative package provides, among other things, for subsidies and tax credits that are linked to companies that use American products or produce them themselves in the US. Macron warned at his meeting in the US capital that the differences would become so great that many companies would no longer invest in Europe. “The decisions made (…) are decisions that will fragment the West,” he warned.
A small approach
During the joint press conference with Macron, Biden defended the general line of the law. The point is that the US does not want to be dependent on supply chains elsewhere. Europe has the same goal and can do the same. However, details can be optimized. Macron and he had instructed their teams to work on solutions here. It is not the intention to exclude other countries. “The intention was to make sure we don’t end up in a situation where a pandemic breaks out in Asia and China decides to stop selling us computer chips.”
Macron expressed hope for a common solution. “Basically, we share the same vision and the same will,” he said. Negative consequences of the law for Europe are not the aim of the law, but an unintended side effect, according to Macron. “We want to be successful together, not against each other.” It is about a common strategy to create more manufacturing jobs – both in the US and Europe – and to ensure the strength and resilience of supply chains.
Otherwise a lot of harmony
On other points, the two presidents emphasized their unity, including with regard to Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine. “Today we, France and the United States, together with all our allies – our NATO allies and the G7 countries, the European Union – reaffirm our opposition as strongly as ever to Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine” said Biden. The US and France would continue to work together to hold Russia accountable.
Overall, Biden stressed that the US and France are particularly close partners and share the same values. “We occasionally have minor disagreements, but never of a fundamental nature.”
A little glamor in the White House
The US president received Macron with military honors at the White House and hosted a festive state banquet for his guest on Thursday evening (local time) – with hundreds of invited guests, including ministers, MPs, senators, ambassadors, as well as celebrities from the film and cinema world. music and fashion industry. Following the program in Washington, the French president wants to travel to New Orleans on Friday. The area in the southern US is mostly French.
(SDA)