US president-elect retains the prospect of a transatlantic commerce conflict within the air, precisely a month earlier than he is because of stroll again into the White Home.
EU officers performed down right now Donald Trump’s newest tariff menace, after the US president-elect warned of dire penalties until the bloc ramps up its purchases of American oil and gasoline.
Trump posted right now on his Fact Social social media platform: “I informed the European Union that they have to make up their super deficit with america by the massive scale buy of our oil and gasoline. In any other case, it’s TARIFFS all the way in which!!!”
Quizzed by reporters at a day by day press briefing in Brussels, the European Fee’s commerce spokesman Olof Gill responded to what he described as “frequent feedback from the president-elect” on EU-US commerce issues.
“[T]he EU has a considerable commerce in items surplus with the US, whereas the US has a considerable commerce in companies surplus vis-á-vis the EU, and that isn’t at all times mirrored in among the kinds of posts you are referencing,” Gill mentioned.
“So what we need to get throughout, and what we now have mentioned on quite a few events, together with from the highest stage President von der Leyen down, is that we’re prepared to debate with President-elect Trump how we are able to additional strengthen an already sturdy relationship, together with by discussing our frequent pursuits within the power sector,” the spokesman added.
Europe has considerably ramped up imports of liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) from the US over the previous three years as Brussels seeks to diversify sources of provide away from Russia amid president Vladimir Putin’s undeclared conflict on Ukraine.
In accordance with official EU figures, the US was the one largest supply of each petroleum and non-pipeline gasoline within the third quarter of this 12 months, supplying simply over 15% of oil and nearly 38% of the bloc’s LNG imports.
When it comes to whole gasoline imports, LNG and pipeline mixed, US exports lined a fifth of the EU demand final 12 months, second solely to the 30% that got here from neighbouring Norway, which is linked by a number of pipelines.
EU officers declined to verify whether or not Trump – as implied in his social media submit – had delivered his ultimatum to Brussels by way of any official channels.
“I can solely verify that we now have seen the tweets, the premise on which you could have raised your questions,” the Fee’s deputy chief spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker mentioned, underlining as soon as once more “the significance of additional strengthening an already sturdy relationship”.
