BRUSSELS — The European Union will step up efforts to diversify away from American liquefied natural gas following U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland, EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen said Wednesday.
Calling the events of recent week a “clear wake-up call,” Jørgensen said growing geopolitical instability — from Russia’s war in Ukraine to rising tensions with Washington — means the EU can no longer assume energy ties are immune from security shocks.
“These are very turbulent times,” Jørgensen told journalists at a briefing in Brussels. “What has made the situation more serious and complex is the strained relationship to the U.S. and the fact that we have an American president that does not exclude using force against Greenland,” he said.
The U.S. already supplies more than a quarter of the EU’s gas, up from just 5 percent five years ago, with dependence set to rise further as a total ban on Russian gas takes effect.
But Jørgensen said the Commission is now actively seeking alternative suppliers to the U.S. and plans to deepen energy ties with a range of countries in the coming months, including Canada, Qatar and Algeria.
“Canada for sure, Qatar, North African countries,” he said, adding that Brussels is also working to secure non-Russian sources of nuclear fuel for member countries that still rely on Moscow.
While stressing that Brussels does not want a trade war with Washington, Jørgensen acknowledged mounting concern inside the EU that it risks “replacing one dependency with another” after rapidly pivoting from Russian gas to U.S. LNG following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It has never been our policy to start trading less with the U.S., and we don’t want trade conflicts,” he said. “But it is also clear that geopolitical turmoil … has been a wake-up call. We have to be able to take care of ourselves.”
The commissioner said he had not yet spoken with his U.S. counterpart since Trump’s remarks on Greenland, and said the EU has not set a formal threshold for how much U.S. LNG would be considered too much. For now, American gas remains “essential” to replace Russian supplies, he said.
The Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) Municipality has expressed its excitement about the many economic trees that were planted on Green Ghana Day. The Municipal…
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/olympic-symbol-with-1976-olympic-stadium-in-background-in-montreal-canada.jpg?id=60323047&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=132%2C0%2C132%2C0"/><br/><br/><p class="">Love it or hate it, Montreal is full of character.</p><p>But beyond its <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/canadian-cities-european-travel" target="_blank">European vibes</a> and cobblestone streets, the city is also home to a few design choices that have sparked debate for decades. So we recently <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MTLBlog/posts/pfbid02XjmPuEQEbQajPmSPLYRbHYELcKXLPf6b4SV9GSKw6pMBeHHhf6LqKqLdqsaACaCMl" target="_blank">asked MTL Blog readers on Facebook: "What's the ugliest landmark in Montreal?</a>"</p><p>The answers came in hot, and not everyone held back. </p><p>With that in mind, here's what locals think our skyline can do without. </p><h3>Olympic Stadium</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBO_B36g0tU/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBO_B36g0tU/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>This was by far the most common response we got. Built for the 1976 Summer Olympics, <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/montreal-olympic-stadium" target="_blank">the stadium</a> is infamous for its ballooning budget, years of delays, and a <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-olympic-stadium-roof" target="_blank">retractable roof</a> that still doesn't work properly.</p><p>Among the top comments were descriptions like "toilet bowl," "money-sucking," and "ugly as hell."</p><p>The infamous "Big Owe" nickname was also thrown around quite a bit.</p><h3>The Montreal Forum</h3><br/><blockquote class="rm-embed twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1728219988673040634">
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>This Sainte-Catherine Street building was once the heart of hockey in Canada. The Canadiens played here from 1924 to 1996 and won most of their 24 Stanley Cups on its ice. Today, the old Forum is a movie theatre and entertainment complex, which some feel is a disrespectful downgrade.</p><p>One user wrote:</p><p> "The old Montreal Forum! It's a shame how much history and nostalgia is now a big black box that plays movies, offers comedy and pub fare. It should be the home of the NHL Hall of Fame. It looks depressing from the outside."</p><h3>Habitat 67</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCfr7okusRL/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCfr7okusRL/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Designed by architect Moshe Safdie for Expo 67, this brutalist housing complex was envisioned as a model for urban living. Its Lego-block design is famous around the world, and it's home to some of the city's most unique condos. </p><p>But not everyone is sold on the look, with several users dropping its name in the comments.</p><h3>Orange cones</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHtKP0IDDwR/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHtKP0IDDwR/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>While not officially a landmark, Montreal's sea of orange cones have become an enduring symbol of the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/montreal-construction" target="_blank">city's never-ending construction projects</a>. </p><p>As a result, multiple users were quick to angrily call them out.</p><h3>Ferris wheel scultpure</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Csl1eCXr0l4/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Csl1eCXr0l4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Officially known as "La vélocité des lieux," this non-moving Ferris wheel sculpture in Montreal North is meant to be public art, but several locals called it out as more confusing than inspiring.</p><p>"It doesn't light up half the time!" one person noted.</p><p>Meanwhile, others pointed out its million-dollar price tag. Perhaps if it were actually functional, people wouldn't be so upset.</p><h3>The Farine Five Roses sign</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9PgPfBMG76/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9PgPfBMG76/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>An iconic neon relic above the Lachine Canal, this vintage flour mill sign has long been a favourite of photographers. But even though <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-farine-five-roses-sign-change" target="_blank">the Farine Five Roses sign</a> has been a part of the Montreal skyline since 1948, not everyone's convinced.</p><p>"Hot take, but the Five Roses sign," said one user. "I worked in a photo lab and you would not believe the amount of people who photograph it and get it printed, thinking they're being original."</p><h3>The Ring (Place Ville Marie)</h3><br/><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyJQJf1A6tY/" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyJQJf1A6tY/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">See on Instagram</a>
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</blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Installed in 2022 at a cost of roughly $5 million, The Ring is a giant steel loop floating above PVM. Meant to symbolize unity, it <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/montreals-giant-ring-is-being-compared-to-a-certain-sex-toy-among-other-things" target="_blank">became meme material almost instantly</a>.</p><p>That sentiment remains.</p><p>"That big useless circle at Place Ville Marie," one user said. A few even referred to it as a giant "c*ck ring."</p>
