On Monday, April 14, the European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic went to Washington to resume negotiations with the United States. As Politico said anonymously, three European officials initiated in talks, the EU will present specific proposals to respond to Trump's anger regarding transatlantic trade.
In particular, they informed, the alliance is looking for ways to aggregate demand. This process would allow the EU to place larger, pan -European orders to meet the requirements of the White House. Officials would also like to negotiate better prices.
The offer is not necessarily new. The EU has been trying to involve Trump's administration in this issue for months, but diplomats say that their actions have met with a lack of interest in Washington. Now, however, the situation has changed – the markets will break down, and business leaders begging Trump to change tactics.
The EU wants to take advantage of the opportunity
– These proposals have been on the table for some time, but we hope that now there will be an opportunity to make progress – admitted one of the officials.
Since the election in November last year, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the EU would buy more American oil and gas if he wants to avoid trade war.
After the chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen proposed two -sided abolition of duties on industrial goods, the US president on Tuesday, April 8, raised the rate and demanded that the continent spend $ 350 billion. (1 trill of PLN 315 billion) more for American energy to compensate for what he perceives as a persistent commercial deficit. Contrary to this rhetoric, the US and the EU, they actually have relatively balanced trade relations, taking into account both goods and services.
On Wednesday, April 9 in the evening, Trump announced a 90-day break in the use of most global customs tariffs, insisting that America's partners now negotiate in order to abolish trade barriers.
Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 9, 2025.
The EU treats this as another opportunity to present its LNG offer. Officials openly talk about the desire to buy more American fuel, presenting this as a way to finally break all energy connections with Russia.
– In the future we will buy more gas from the USA – said Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen during an industry event last week. He emphasized that shopping would have to be in line with the ecological goals of the alliance.
“We want to give negotiations a chance”
However, the EU may not do much in this matter. Ultimately, it's companies, not governments, they buy LNG. Some alliance countries have indicated that their companies are already bringing as much LNG from the USA as possible.
It is also not clear how well the demand aggregation system would work. The EU launched a similar system after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hoping to reduce sky -high prices. However, few companies took part in it.
Continuation of the material under the video
Despite this, collecting orders from private suppliers and matching them to American suppliers is one of the ways in which the EU can take larger amounts of American gas.
Talks are also accompanied by concerns about LNG prices. The EU requires that the countries fill their storage tanks with fuel up to 90 percent. capacity until November 1 each year, and the capitals are afraid that summer rush in buying deliveries – largely American – will increase costs. EU countries strive to alleviate these regulations, hoping that flexibility will allow them to spend less on LNG.
On Thursday, April 10, the chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen warned that the EU would react to re -imposing customs, but for now she said: – We want to give negotiations a chance.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
