Brussels, Jan 18 (.) The European union is set to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday in Brussels after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on eight European countries over their opposition to a potential American acquisition of Greenland.
Ambassadors from all 27 EU member states will deliberate on how to respond to Trump’s threat of escalating tariffs, which could rise to 25 percent if the US is not allowed to purchase the island.
Cyprus, which currently holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, confirmed late Saturday that the session will begin at 5 pm local time (1600 GMT), as leaders prepare to coordinate a response to a move that has already drawn sharp criticism from EU capitals and sparked protests in Greenland.
Trump announced on Truth Social that a 10 percent tariff would take effect on February 1 for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland. He added that the tariffs would rise to 25 percent on June 1 and would remain in effect until Greenland is sold to the U.S.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move was “completely wrong,” while French President Emmanuel Macron described it as “unacceptable.”
Trump stated, “This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
Meanwhile, several European countries have deployed troops to Greenland at Denmark’s request after Trump asserted that he has not ruled out “use of force” to fulfil its demand as he stressed the strategic importance of Greenland for US security and its rich mineral resources.
The European union warned that the tariffs could trigger a “dangerous downward spiral” and called an emergency meeting to coordinate their response.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said on X, “Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty.”
Pointing out that tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its core task of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine,EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X, “China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies.If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. We also cannot let our dispute distract us from the our core task of helping to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
She further said that European leaders have stressed that Arctic security should be managed collectively through NATO.
UK opposition leaders also condemned the tariffs. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called them a “terrible idea,” while Reform UK leader Nigel Garage warned they “will hurt us.” Starmer said, “Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.” He added that Greenland’s future should be decided by Denmark and Greenland.
Macron said, “Tariff threats are unacceptable in this context. We will not be swayed by any intimidation. France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere. This guides our choices. It underpins our commitment to the United Nations and to its Charter.”
Macron said that the EU will continue to support Ukraine and have “built a coalition of the willing for a robust and lasting peace, to defend these principles and our security. It is also on this basis that we decided to take part in the exercise organized by Denmark in Greenland. We fully assume this decision, because security in the Arctic and at the outer edges of our Europe is at stake. No intimidation or threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations.”
German MEP Manfred Weber, head of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, warned that Trump’s threats could affect the pending EU-U.S. trade deal. “The EPP is in favour of the EU-US trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The 0% tariffs on US products must be put on hold,” he said on X.
As Sweden is now engaged in intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway, and the United Kingdom for a coordinated response to the US mnove, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on X, “We won’t let ourselves be blackmailed. Only Denmark and Greenland decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland. I will always stand up for my country, and for our allied neighbors. This is an EU issue that affects many more countries than those now being singled out.
Protests have erupted as thousands marched across snow and ice, waving their national flag and chanting “Greenland is not for sale.” In Copenhagen, protesters gathered outside the US embassy with signs reading “No means No” and “Hands off Greenland,” and some wore red caps parodying Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” modified to “Make America Go Away.”
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