I am truly happy that Secretary Lutnick and Ambassador Jamieson Greer accepted our invitation to join us today. I believe this engagement has been mutually beneficial – and the day is not yet over.
We see eye to eye on the significance of our EU-US agreement – and it is important that we regularly take stock of its implementation.
There is plenty of work ahead – much of it already well underway, with the figures so far indeed impressive:
- Since January, the EU has purchased US energy worth 200 billion dollars.
- The U.S. share of EU LNG imports has increased from 45 percent to 60 percent this year – and is expected to grow even further, as long-term contracts worth 80 billion dollars were recently signed.
- EU Member States are also teaming up with the U.S. on nuclear technology. We already take note of investment projects worth nearly 130 billion dollars.
- Additionally, EU investment into the U.S. economy – across all sectors – has climbed to nearly 154 billion euros since January.
I believe that the Joint Statement gives us a strong basis to build on.
It is no secret that our work on steel and derivatives is of special importance – and we seek both to reduce tariffs and to confront global overcapacity together. This is a priority for the EU and our steel regulation speaks volumes about how seriously we take this issue.
We also want to focus our minds on a forward-looking agenda, including critical minerals where we share the goal of securing reliable supplies, while strengthening our respective industrial bases.
We have seen first-hand what any over-dependency can do to our industry and our economy – so, we must act strategically and swiftly.
I expect my team to travel to the U.S. in the coming weeks to engage on all these issues.
So, dear Secretary, dear Ambassador – thank you for coming. We will shortly be meeting with industry representatives, and I am sure it will be equally informative.
