OREANDA-NEWS   France insists that Washington exempt alcoholic beverages, including champagne and other wines, from duties imposed by US President Donald Trump, the Financial Times newspaper reported, citing an unnamed French official.

According to the newspaper, the EU's trade agreement with the United States reached on Sunday caused confusion in Brussels and Paris over which goods would be excluded from the 15 percent duty applied to most European goods imported by the United States. The publication notes that EU officials announced the continuation of negotiations with Washington, including on alcoholic beverages. However, according to the newspaper, American officials said there would be no exceptions for spirits and wines, including champagne. At the same time, according to the Financial Times, France is the largest exporter of alcohol to countries outside the EU, and almost a third of French alcohol exports go to the United States.

France is pushing for the exemption of champagne and other wines and spirits from U.S. duties as European officials seek more exemptions from the trade agreement with Washington, which is expected to enter into force on Friday... None of the French officials spoke publicly about the status of negotiations on wine or champagne, but a representative of the Ministry of Finance said they were trying to exclude all alcoholic beverages from the new tariff rate," the report said.