The bill for the Trump administration's military "adventure" in the Middle East has come due for the European Union.
The bloc is considering implementing drastic consumption restriction measures reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic period. The concept of "energy lockdown" This is gaining traction behind the scenes in Brussels as a direct response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by... Iran.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen has sent a letter to governments suggesting a reduction in the use of transport. The measure aims to preserve stocks of diesel and aviation fuel, which have reached record prices.
The plan includes tools that hark back to the 1973 oil crisis. Among the proposals are... "Car-free Sundays" and gasoline rationing to prevent the system from collapsing.
"Worse than the pandemic"
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the current economic impact is on track to rival what the continent “experienced recently during the Covid pandemic or at the beginning of the…” Ukraine war".
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stressed the gravity of the situation in an interview with the newspaper La Repubblica. "I am forced to learn things that keep me awake at night," the minister stated regarding the consequences of the war.
The president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, warned that the long-term effects are "probably beyond what we can imagine at the moment."
Impact on aviation and industry
The aviation sector is already feeling the immediate effects. The Lufthansa group is discussing the temporary grounding of "between 20 and 40 of its aircraft" due to the aviation fuel crisis.
"There's no way the industry can absorb this increase, so prices will go up," declared Willie Walsh, director-general of the airline association IATA.
If the conflict persists, experts warn that European citizens will face "energy lockdowns" that could limit vacation trips and the operation of essential industries.
The cost of tension in the Gulf
Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has plunged the continent into an unprecedented supply crisis. The President of the United States spoke directly about the fuel shortages faced by European allies. "You're going to have to start learning to fight for yourselves," Trump wrote on his social media account, Truth Social. "Go get your own oil!" he added.
Washington's aggressive stance stems from European countries' opposition to aiding the United States in the war. This resistance to providing direct military support has resulted in Europe's diplomatic isolation, leaving it to deal alone with a supply shock that threatens to paralyze industries and the transportation sector across the bloc.
The bill for the militaristic adventure of Donald Trump's government in the Middle East has arrived for the European Union in the form of shortages and record prices. Without US support and with maritime routes blocked, the continent finds itself forced to manage a crisis that leaders are already classifying as greater than the impacts of the pandemic.
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