Ursula von der Leyen she has already talked to Donald Trump on the phone and told him about an offer Brussels might make. This is the commercial offer: The EU could buy more gas liquefied gas from the USA, probably hoping in return that this country will refrain from imposing customs duties on EU products.
The EU has an idea for Trump. LNG gas
– We still import a lot of LNG from Russia. Why shouldn't we replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper for us and lowers the prices of our energy – said the head of the European Commission to EU leaders. Donald Trump's victory and its importance for Europe, including the economic one, were one of the topics of the informal EU summit in Budapest, which ended on Friday. Politicians talked there, among others: about what EU trade policy will look like during Trump's second presidency. – Commitment, analysis of common interests and negotiations – said von der Leyen.
Donald Trump is a businessman, so this style may be appropriate for contacts with him. For now, we know that they did it many times during the election campaign he spread protectionist slogansannouncing the introduction of tariffs – not only even higher ones on goods from China, but also on products from other countries. For trade with Europe, the stakes could be 10 percent. Additionally, he suggested additional steps regarding the automotive industry.
European surplus under the microscope
The EU has a trade surplus with the US (i.e. it exports more there than it imports), which is problematic for Trump. Already during the previous presidency, he emphasized the fight against the American trade deficit (because the United States generally buys more goods from the world than it sends from itself). Last year, the value of EU exports to the US reached USD 534 billion, of which more than one tenth were vehicles – recalls Reuters.
In turn, the USA exported goods worth USD 370 billion to the EU. Key products for Europe that are difficult to replace, such as medicines, aircraft and fuel, accounted for over a third of these exports.