THE EU’s trade surplus with the United States reached a record level in 2018, data showed Friday, increasing the risk that U.S. President Donald Trump’s anger could reignite a trade war.

Trump is a furious critic of Europe’s high trade surpluses, accusing the EU — and especially Germany — of unfair practices against U.S. workers.

Last year, his government imposed punitive tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe and other partners, and this was met with countermeasures by the EU, including duties on U.S. motorcycles and denim jeans.

In 2018, the EU trade surplus with the US reached 139.7 billion euros (US$181.6 billion), 20.1 billion euros more than in 2017, according to the EU’s Eurostat data agency.

The new data lands as the U.S. Commerce department is reported to have found that auto imports into the United States threaten national security, the first step toward possible auto tariffs by Washington.

The report is expected to be delivered to the White House by a Sunday deadline and has been seen as a major risk for EU automakers.

Trump would have 90 days to decide on taking the measures, with the latest surplus data likely to weigh in his decision.

“I like tariffs,” Trump told reporters at press conference on Washington on Friday, saying they are bringing “many billions of dollars pouring into our Treasury.”

Despite the tense situation, exports of goods from the 28 EU states last year reached 406.4 billion euros according to Eurostat. This was an increase of eight percent compared to the previous year.

Imports from the United States also increased to a total of 266.7 billion euros, but the increase was significantly lower, which is why the EU trade surplus climbed to the fresh record. (SD-Agencies)