The US president-elect is maintaining the prospect of a transatlantic commerce conflict within the air, precisely one month earlier than he returns to the White House.
EU officers immediately downplayed Donald Trump’s newest tariff menace, after the US president-elect warned of dire penalties if the bloc doesn’t step up purchases of American oil and fuel.
Trump posted immediately on his social media platform Truth Social: “I advised the European Union that it should make up its enormous deficit with the United States by buying our oil and fuel on a big scale. Otherwise they’re RATES all the best way!!!”
Questioned by journalists at a each day press convention in Brussels, European Commission commerce spokesperson Olof Gill responded to what he described as “frequent feedback from the president-elect” on EU-US commerce points.
“The EU has a considerable commerce surplus in items with the United States, whereas the United States has a considerable commerce surplus in providers relative to the EU, and that is not at all times mirrored in among the sorts of locations that you simply” are referring to ,” Gill stated.
“So what we wish to convey, and what we have now stated on quite a few events, together with from the best ranges of President von der Leyen on down, is that we’re prepared to debate with President-elect Trump how we will additional strengthen an already sturdy relationship, together with by discussing our widespread pursuits within the power sector,” the spokesperson added.
Europe has considerably elevated imports of liquefied pure fuel (LNG) from the United States over the previous three years as Brussels seeks to diversify provide sources away from Russia amid President Vladimir Putin’s undeclared conflict on Ukraine.
According to official EU information, the United States was the biggest supply of each oil and non-pipeline fuel within the third quarter of this yr, supplying simply over 15% of the nation’s oil and almost 38% of its LNG imports. block.
In phrases of complete fuel, LNG and pipeline imports mixed, US exports final yr lined a fifth of EU demand, second solely to the 30% from neighboring Norway, which is linked by a number of pipelines.
EU officers declined to substantiate whether or not Trump – as implied in his social media submit – had delivered his ultimatum to Brussels by means of official channels.
“I can solely verify that we have now seen the tweets, on the idea of which you raised your questions,” stated Commission deputy chief spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker, as soon as once more underlining “the significance of additional strengthening an already sturdy relationship.”
