Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Shakes EU
Trump’s Greenland tariff threat fuels a looming EU-US trade war as leaders debate retaliation using the EU anti-coercion instrument.
European leaders haven't even had a full year to prepare for President Trump's second term, and this rollercoaster ride has already reached its most dangerous point.
The man in the White House is dangling the threat of economic punishment over the heads of countries that support the territorial integrity of EU member Denmark.
Leaders will hold an emergency EU summit in the coming days to discuss this. If the European Union retaliates with similar measures, there is a risk of a full-blown trade war with the US.
If it takes no action, will Trump assume that this bloc of 27 nations is weak, divided, and too intimidated to stop him from carrying out his threat to acquire Greenland – whether by purchase or military force?
French President Emmanuel Macron says it's time to use the EU's "trade bazooka" for the first time. This is the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), which would allow Europe to impose retaliatory tariffs, restrict access to the single market, and block applications for lucrative EU contracts.
It's a great irony that this weapon was originally designed to combat bullying interference from an external hostile power.
They were thinking of China, not the United States.
For now, some EU leaders are weary of Macron's approach. This includes Italy's Giorgia Meloni, who has had a better relationship with Trump than most.
She spoke of a "problem of understanding and communication" regarding the recent deployment of troops to Greenland by some European countries, including Denmark, but didn't specify what had been misunderstood.
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If the intention was to appease Trump and suggest that Arctic security should be enhanced, the troop deployment seems to have only further provoked him into issuing his latest threat. The misinterpretation of Meloni's remarks opens the door to a more diplomatic approach to handling this delicate EU-US crisis.
Sunday's emergency meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels was a discreet affair, unlike the regular top-level summits where traffic grinds to a halt, roads are closed, and leaders rush to the cameras to offer their opinions.
It's unclear who will make the next move and whether Trump will temper his latest threat or actually escalate it further.
EU action on such a sensitive matter is unlikely to be swift or unanimous. Europe has tried to appease President Trump as much as possible during his second term. Some have called it shrewdness, others flattery.
But now, it seems clear that he is not only burning the diplomatic bridges across the Atlantic but threatening to blow them up entirely.
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