Brussels Edition: French Disconnection

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With the threat of punitive U.S. tariffs on European cars and auto parts looming, EU ambassadors in Brussels will be looking to France to break a deadlock that’s prevented the bloc’s executive arm from starting trans-Atlantic trade talks. There’s a lot at stake because a delay by EU governments in approving a negotiating mandate risks provoking Donald Trump’s ire and prompting him to impose the automotive levies, which could throw Europe’s economy into a recession. Many countries in the bloc want to try to keep the duties at bay by showing Trump progress toward a goal of cutting industrial tariffs, but France has been stalling over environmental and policy concerns.