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Dear Jonas,

Welcome to Brussels. Norway is a member of the European family. We are united by shared values and integrated through our Single Market. When faced with shared challenges, we are keen to explore common solutions. This is what our discussion today has shown. From support for Ukraine and defense to addressing US tariffs, our cooperation strengthens us.

In defense, Norway can participate in the joint procurement of SAFE, and Norwegian industries will be treated like EU industries. Norway has been a key supporter of Ukraine. Our financial support, combined with your assistance, makes a difference for Ukrainians. We also discussed progress on the Green Alliance, signed two years ago in April. We are turning words into action with concrete projects, from offshore wind to hydrogen and CCS. We agreed to speed up coordination between Norway, Member States, and our companies to get more projects underway. In the global clean tech race, we are stronger together.

We also discussed the effects of US tariffs. These tariffs primarily incur immense costs for US consumers and businesses but also have a massive impact on the global economy. Developing countries are particularly hard hit. This is a major turning point for the United States. Nonetheless, we are ready to negotiate with the US. We have even offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods, as we have successfully done with many other trading partners. Europe is always ready for a good deal. So, we keep it on the table, but we are also prepared to take countermeasures and defend our interests. Additionally, we will protect ourselves against indirect effects through trade diversion. For this purpose, we will set up an Import Surveillance Task Force. We will work with industry to ensure we have the necessary evidence base for our policy measures. We will stay in close contact to work together to minimize the impact on each other.

Today and tomorrow, I continue my intense outreach to industrial stakeholders in Europe. I met with the steel and aluminum industry this morning, as well as BusinessEurope and SME United. I am meeting with the automotive industry today and the pharmaceutical industry tomorrow. We are discussing the response to the US, but also the other two pillars of our strategy: strengthening the Single Market by removing barriers and diversifying our trade relations. Further strengthening our trade relations is critical. We will focus like a laser beam on the 83% of global trade beyond the US. This is why we are deepening our relations with our trading partners: like the deals done with Mercosur, Mexico, Switzerland, and we are working with India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and many others. Europe stands together for our businesses and with our businesses for all Europeans in the EU and beyond. Our unity is our strength.

Thank you.