There's a clear tension between developed and emerging economies regarding how to achieve the energy transition. While Europe insists that the time has come to accelerate the pace, Asia, Latin America and Africa are experiencing lags in economic growth, which hinder the monumental leap toward wind or solar generation. In this debate, some parties propose natural gas as a transitional fuel: it pollutes less than other fossil fuels, it's more accessible, and it's seen as a first step in the direction of renewable energy.
European Union trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Thursday presented a joint EU-US statement outlining a framework trade deal under which some 70% of EU exports face a 15% tariff. "This is a serious, strategic deal, and we are fully behind it. A wide range of sectors, including strategic industries such as cars, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber, stand to benefit," Sefcovic told a press conference in Brussels.