(MENAFN) French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized the European Union’s perceived weakness in recent trade negotiations with the United States, saying the bloc was “not feared enough,” according to Euractiv. His comments followed the signing of a major trade deal between U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will impose a 15% tariff on most EU exports, while the EU has pledged to invest $600 billion in the American economy and purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy over the next three years. The deal does not place any tariffs on American goods entering the EU.

“To be free, you must be feared, and we weren’t feared enough,” Macron reportedly told ministers at a cabinet meeting in Paris on Wednesday. He lamented that the EU still fails to see itself as a true global power and urged EU leaders to work harder to establish a more balanced relationship with Washington.

Macron also called for faster progress on strengthening Europe’s sovereignty and economic competitiveness, which some see as a subtle criticism of von der Leyen’s leadership.

Government spokesperson Sophie Primas later stated that Macron welcomed some aspects of the deal, including improved opportunities for French companies, but still found the agreement “incomplete.”

Criticism within the French government has been mounting. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou labeled the deal a “submission” earlier in the week, and other officials have raised concerns about both the substance of the deal and the setting in which it was finalized — reportedly a private golf course in Scotland, which Primas described as “unusual.”

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