Five European countries agreed at an emergency meeting Thursday to respond with "one voice" to growing pressure from the U.S. government to release reserves of diesel, according to people familiar with the matter.
France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Ireland and the European Commission joined the talks to decide how to respond to pressure from Washington to draw down oil stockpiles or face a ban on U.S. exports of diesel, three European officials told POLITICO.
All these countries have been privately pressured by the U.S. to draw down on their reserves, two of the people said.
The countries, along with the EU's executive arm, agreed three things, according to the people: To react to the pressure with a "coordinated voice," to make sure that "every decision about releasing stocks should be elevated to the IEA [International Energy Agency] level," and to seek to "decrease the tension when speaking to the U.S."
The Paris-based IEA coordinates energy policy among rich countries, and oversaw a release of oil stocks earlier this year following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The idea is to "de-escalate," one of the people said. "To be sort of assertive but positive in the communication ... When you're dealing with the hungry lion, you do not necessarily play dirty games with him."
A wider pool of countries, some of which have also faced pressure from the Trump administration, will discuss how to respond in a meeting on Friday, the person added.
Full article European countries agree on ‘assertive’ response to US diesel pressure – POLITICO
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