EU voices concern over reported US plan to restrict diesel exports

The European Commission expressed concern Thursday over reported US plans to restrict diesel exports, warning that a disruption to energy trade could harm both the EU and the US.

“The European Union views with concern the reported US plans to ban diesel exports, including to the European Union,” commission spokesman Olof Gill told reporters at a daily briefing.

“EU-US cooperation in the field of energy is strong, stable, and mutually beneficial. Any disruption would risk negatively impacting both sides,” Gill said, adding that high-level contacts with the US administration were ongoing.

“We expect close partners to consult each other before taking measures that affect shared markets,” he said.

Asked whether the proposal could affect broader EU-US energy arrangements, Gill stressed that the plans remained unconfirmed. “Nothing is decided yet,” he said, adding that the EU was telling US counterparts at the highest level that it considered a ban a bad idea.

Another commission spokeswoman, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, said the EU was closely monitoring fuel markets and supplies with member states but that “for the time being, there is no concrete shortage of diesel in the European Union.”

The US accounted for around 50% of EU diesel imports in August, Itkonen said.

The EU’s Oil Coordination Group is due to meet next Tuesday to review the situation across member states.

Politico reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the plan, that the Trump administration was preparing a 90-day ban on diesel exports to bring down US fuel prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The White House dismissed the report, while fuel producers warned that a ban could ultimately push prices higher.