U.S., France agreed to “fix” U.S. subsidies issues, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden stand together onstage during an official State Arrival Ceremony for President Macron on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a state visit earlier this week to “fix” issues arising from U.S. legislation that includes subsidies for American-made products, Macron said in a bid to assuage European concerns.

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is a new $430-billion bill offering massive subsidies for U.S.-made products and aimed at addressing the climate crisis and promoting renewable energy.

But European leaders say the legislative package is unfair to non-American companies and would be a serious blow to their economies as Europe deals with the fallout from Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine.

“What we decided with President Biden is precisely to fix this issue. And they are fixable,” Macron told CBS’ 60 Minutes in an interview released on Sunday.

On Thursday, speaking alongside Macron, Biden said: “There are tweaks that we can make that can fundamentally make it easier for European countries to participate and or be on their own.”