Congratulatory messages bloomed on social media on Saturday after the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory, who is expected to become the 46th President of the United States after several days of uncertainty.
Words that also arrived from Côte-d’Or like those of François Rebsamen, mayor of Dijon, or Ludovic Rochette, president of the association of mayors of Côte-d’Or, who have not failed to add a very political note to their message.
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But other elected officials from the department have highlighted the economic consequences that this change of President could have. In particular the deputy Didier Paris, who indicates “to hope for a less bellicose America in the commercial plan” or still François Sauvadet, president of the Department, who immediately puts the subject on the table: “Congratulations to Joe Biden
who becomes the 46th President of the United States. I hope that he will quickly come back to the wine tax decided by his predecessor and which put French viticulture in difficulty! “
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Worried winegrowers
The elimination of this tax. This is also what the winegrowers want, who estimate the losses for the sector at 400 million euros during the last 13 months in France due to this tax. Of which 80 million just in Burgundy. But it is not that simple. Because “the wine industry has found itself held hostage in a case which does not concern it”, as recalled this week Albéric BIchot, vice-president of the Federation of the merchants breeders in Burgundy wines from the magazine Terre de vins.
And trade tensions between the European Union and the United States, part of an Airbus-Boeing dispute, could further escalate in the coming days. Indeed, this Monday, November 9, the Council of European Foreign Ministers is due to meet in Brussels to discuss possible trade sanctions against the United States.
Saturday evening, after the announcement of the victory of Joe Biden, the Federation of wine and spirits exporters published a press release in which it called on France and Europe to restraint and to suspend possible trade sanctions pending to dialogue with the new tenant of the White House.
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Objective: to avoid an American response which could result in an increase in taxes on French wines.
With Biden, a decrease in consumption?
But the arrival of Joe Biden could also have other consequences for the French and Burgundian wine market across the Atlantic. Also with Terre de vins, Gilles de Larouzière, president of the Maison Bouchard Père & Fils in Beaune, thus pointed out the high concern of the future president regarding the Covid-19. And the Côte-d’Orien to imagine stronger restrictions in the coming months that could reduce the consumption of French wines on the American market.
To be continued …
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