The agreement unveiled on Sunday, July 27, between Donald Trump's United States and Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission goes beyond the matter of customs barriers – in this case, 15% on imports of European products, starting Friday, August 1. The Commission pledged that the member states of the European Union (EU) would significantly increase their energy supplies from the US over the next three years.

The official pledge is to bring the total value of European purchases to $750 billion (€650 billion) over three years by sourcing American oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) or nuclear fuel – an average of $250 billion per year.

Pending further details, this figure raises questions. According to the online news outlet Contexte, it could represent the sum of investments already planned by European companies. Legally, "the EU cannot compel companies" to make this or that purchase, emphasized Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, head of the energy center at Institut Jacques-Delors, a French think tank. In 2019, China had already promised Trump to increase its energy purchases, but ultimately did not reach the pledged levels.

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