by Joey Roulette and Michel Rose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday lamented before U.S. lawmakers the “aggressiveness” of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and massive subsidies earmarked for U.S. manufacturers resulting from it, said one of the participants in the meeting.
The services of the presidency refused to comment on these remarks which were first disclosed by Agence France-Presse.
Emmanuel Macron arrived in Washington on Wednesday as part of a rare state visit which, beyond the celebration of Franco-American friendship, will have as its real issue the impact on European industry of this law on reducing inflation.
In front of Republican and Democratic parliamentarians gathered at the Library of Congress, Emmanuel Macon spoke of a “super aggressive” law vis-à-vis European companies, said the participant who spoke under the seal of anonymity.
The head of state will try during his visit to the United States to negotiate exemptions for European companies on the model of those that Mexico and Canada have already obtained, said a French presidential adviser.
Energy issues will also feature prominently in discussions at the White House, with France hoping to boost nuclear energy cooperation.
Emmanuel Macron wants France to build more nuclear reactors, but it faces corrosion problems at its aging plants.
EDF has called in hundreds of specialist workers, including welders from US nuclear power plant construction specialist Westinghouse, to help solve these problems and avoid power outages in Europe this winter.
Emmanuel Macron will also visit Louisiana, where the French oil giant TotalEnergies operates a major liquefied natural gas terminal. The president, who has complained about the high price of US gas exports, said he would raise the issue with Joe Biden.
(French version Nicolas Delame)
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