Biden hosts Macron amid friction over US climate law

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron are celebrating the longstanding U.S.-French relationship — however, those are buddies with differences. The French president is the usage of his go to Washington to sharply criticize factors of the U.S. president’s signature weather regulation as a terrible deal for Europe. Biden is about to honour Macron with the primary country dinner of his presidency on Thursday evening. First, the 2 leaders will take a seat down withinside the Oval Office for morning talks that officers from each aspect stated have been anticipated to in large part middle at the leaders’ efforts to live united in their reaction to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and to coordinate their method to an increasing number of assertive China.

But beforehand to Thursday’s meeting, Macron made clear that he and different European leaders stay deeply worried approximately the incentives in a sweeping new weather-associated regulation that favours American-made weather technology, together with electric-powered vehicles. Macron on Wednesday criticized the law, referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act, for the duration of a luncheon with U.S. lawmakers and once more for the duration of a speech at the French embassy. The French president stated that even as the Biden management’s efforts to reduce weather extreme have to be applauded, the subsidies might be a substantial setback for European businesses. Separately, at the luncheon with contributors of Congress from each party, together with enterprise leaders and diplomats, Macron stated that essential commercial countries want to do extra to deal with weather extremes and sell biodiversity.

He criticized a deal that reached the latest weather summit in Egypt wherein America and different rich countries agreed to assist pay for the harm that an overheating international is causing to bad countries. The deal consists of little information on how it will likely be paid for, and Macron stated an extra complete method is needed — “now no longer only a new fund we determined with the intention to now no longer be funded or even if it’s far funded, it’s going to now no longer be rightly allocated.″ Speaking after his organized comments and without cameras present, Macron took purpose on the Inflation Reduction Act, calling the subsidies dangerous to French businesses and others in Europe, in keeping with someone withinside the closed-door meeting. The character asked for anonymity to speak about the non-public feedback from Macron. The European Union has expressed difficulty that tax credits withinside the weather regulation, together with the ones aimed toward encouraging Americans to shop for electric-powered vehicles, might discriminate towards European manufacturers and destroy World Trade Organization rules. Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck reiterated Wednesday that he believes components of the regulation are not well suited to the WTO.

Macron had deliberately made his case to U.S. officers towards the subsidies, underscoring that it is important for “Europe, just like the U.S., to pop out stronger … now no longer weaker” as the arena emerges from the tumult of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in keeping with a senior French authorities professional who briefed journalists at the circumstance of anonymity to preview the non-public talks. Biden management officers have countered that the law is going in an extended manner in assisting the U.S. to fulfil international desires to reduce weather extremes. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday made the case that the law may even offer new possibilities for French businesses and others in Europe.

Macron on Wednesday met with Vice President Kamala Harris at NASA headquarters in Washington as each aspect regarded to spotlight U.S.-French cooperation on space. In June, France signed the Artemis Accords, a NASA-led set of concepts used to manipulate global civil use of space. The equal month, the U.S. made right on a promise to enrol in the France-led Space for Climate Observatory, which is supposed to version and tune weather extrude.