Brussels goes ahead with US trade talks despite French opposition
Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform said the step was an effort to “stall Trump” in the imposition of vehicle tariffs.
The step is “probably all the EU can do” and will not necessarily achieve more than a delay to tariffs coming into force, Mr Lowe added. He expects the levies to come into force, possibly before the end of this year.
It was a politically “clever” decision for France to vote against the mandate presented on Monday, as “they knew they could oppose it without stopping it happening” thanks to qualified majority voting, he added.