EU Prepares Strong Response to Trump, Demands Action Over Trade Tariffs

US President Donald Trump has announced a 10% tariff on 8 countries for not cooperating on the Greenland issue. The EU is also scheduled to hold a meeting on this today. Here's what Bernd Lange, Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, had to say...

Bernd Lange, the chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, has urged the European Commission to utilise the EU's Anti-Coercion Instrument. This demand comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump's threat to impose an additional 10% import duty, or tariff, on several European countries concerning the Greenland issue.

Demand to Implement Anti-Coercion Instrument

Bernd Lange wrote on LinkedIn that the time has come to implement the Anti-Coercion Instrument and provide a clear and firm response from the European Union. He stated that the European Commission should initiate this process without delay. Trump had announced on Saturday that a 10% tariff would be imposed on all goods originating from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland, effective February 1st. Trump claims this measure is being taken due to the dispute related to Greenland.

Using Tariffs as a Political Weapon is a Dangerous Approach

Bernd Lange described the US President's threat as unbelievable and called it a new and dangerous method of using tariffs as a political weapon. He clearly stated that in such a situation, the EU cannot continue with normal operations as before.

He also mentioned that this move by the US violates the EU-US Trade and Tariffs Agreement that took place in Scotland in July 2025. According to Lange, the European Parliament will discuss this issue again with various political groups next week. He added that it is not possible to proceed normally under the current circumstances and that further work is likely to be halted. He said, "I cannot imagine that we can continue to work as normal, and I think we will stop our further work."

Talk of Buying Greenland During First Term

Greenland is a self-governing territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. Decisions related to defence and foreign policy are handled by the government in Copenhagen. The US also maintains a military base there. Donald Trump has shown long-standing interest in Greenland. During his first presidential term, he had spoken about buying Greenland. Now, he is discussing various options to take control of it, including the use of the US military. In recent times, the intensification of Trump's efforts has deepened the crisis related to Greenland.