Internet reports that French President Macron said that in trade negotiations with the United States, the EU lacked sufficient deterrence, resulting in the agreement reached being criticized by many as unbalanced. "Europe has not seen itself enough as a powerful force. If you want to be free, you must be awesome. And we are not awesome enough,"Macron said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. On Sunday, the EU agreed that most products exported to the United States would face a 15% tariff, while the EU's average tariff rate on imports from the United States would be below 1%. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic admitted that this was "the best agreement we could reach under very difficult circumstances." In response, Macron said on Wednesday that the agreement is not the "end of the story" and negotiations on the agreement will continue. "France has always taken a firm and strict stance," he said and will continue to do so.