European Countries Rally Against US Tariff Over Greenland

BRUSSELS, Jan 19 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- The transatlantic rift over Greenland deepened remarkably on Sunday as Europe mounted a rare, unified rebuke to punitive tariff threats from US President Donald Trump, reported Xinhua.

In the strongest coordinated response so far, the eight countries directly targeted by the proposed tariffs -- Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom -- issued a joint statement declaring "full solidarity" with Denmark and Greenland.

They warned the US move risked a "dangerous downward spiral" in transatlantic relations and vowed a "united and coordinated" response to uphold sovereignty.

European Council President Antonio Costa said on X that the European Union (EU) is "ready to defend itself against any form of coercion" in response to Trump's tariff threats.

National reactions were swift and unequivocal, with European leaders and ministers branding the US threat coercive and unacceptable. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel explicitly called the tariffs an act of "blackmail," urging Washington to withdraw the "ridiculous proposal" before it takes effect. German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Berlin "must not allow itself to be intimidated," adding that "a line has been crossed."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen posted on social media that "Europe will not be blackmailed." Underscoring the universal support for Denmark, she said this is now "an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders."

The momentum to push back was gathered at the EU level. Valerie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, urged EU leaders to activate the bloc's never-used "Anti-Coercion Instrument," dubbed an "economic nuclear weapon." The mechanism would allow immediate retaliation, including punitive tariffs, market bans, financial sanctions, and the suspension of US patents and licences, without recourse to the United Nations or the World Trade Organisation.

Noting that the US exports more than US$500 billion of goods to the EU each year, making the bloc Washington's largest market, Hayer warned that Trump "should think twice," stressing that the EU is "not afraid to use deterrence for our defence."

On Sunday night, a report by Financial Times said that EU capitals are considering hitting Washington with 93 billion euros (US$107.68 billion) worth of tariffs or reviving the "Anti-Coercion Instrument."

Describing the tariffs as "unacceptable," French President Emmanuel Macron's office also confirmed that the president would request the same course of action if Washington follows through on its threat.

Beyond the directly targeted states, other European countries joined the criticism of the US move. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking during a visit to South Korea, called the tariff threats "a mistake."

On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain's position on Greenland is very clear: "it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes," branding the US threat "completely wrong."

Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee emphasised the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. "There can be no lasting peace and security in a world where these principles are ignored and undermined," she said.

The unified European pushback sets the stage for a potential escalation. With calls to arm the EU's economic "bazooka" and repeated warnings against blackmail, Europe has signalled an unusually firm willingness to risk a tit-for-tat economic confrontation over Greenland's sovereignty.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA