President Donald Trump’s Greenland fixation spirals into trade warfare, prompting the EU to ready its sharpest weapon: the Anti-Coercion Instrument. Bernd Lange, influential chair of the Parliament’s International Trade Committee, leads the call for immediate countermeasures.
Trump’s Saturday salvo promises 10% tariffs on all imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Netherlands, and Finland starting February 1—purely over the Arctic territory spat.
In a no-holds-barred LinkedIn statement, Lange branded it a ‘dangerous precedent’ of tariff-as-blackmail. ‘The time is now for the EU to enforce the Instrument with a strong reply,’ he insisted, tasking the Commission with urgent initiation.
The backdrop: Greenland’s autonomy under Danish oversight, handling foreign policy while hosting a vital US military installation. Trump’s serial pursuits—from purchase pitches in his first term to current military musings—have intensified lately, stoking crisis.
Lange ties the tariffs to a rupture in the EU-US trade accord sealed in Scotland last July. Amid warnings of frozen proceedings—’No way we continue normally; work will halt’—Parliament gears for next week’s strategy sessions.
This pivotal moment showcases Europe’s growing resolve against unilateralism. With economic interdependence at stake, activation of anti-coercion measures could deter future overreaches, safeguarding sovereignty in an era of bold power plays.