PARIS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert on Friday said France and European allies were discussing levying duties on imported U.S. products in response to Washington's new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
On Thursday, the United States said it would impose a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and 10-percent on aluminum from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier granted the EU a two-month temporary exemption from tariffs metal imports which expired on Friday.
"It is a unilateral, unjustified and totally dangerous decision for our industry that can challenge a lot of jobs on French territory," Travert told Cnews TV channel.
"There are measures that can be taken on a number of U.S. products," he added, referring to textile products, motorcycles and certain spirits.
In a joint statement issued late on Thursday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said they "regret the decisions taken unilaterally by the U.S. authorities".
"As announced by the European Commission, we will take all appropriate measures and respond accordingly," they said.
