The European Union is holding an emergency meeting in Brussels after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs against countries that moved to counter the U.S. move to acquire Greenland.
On Saturday, Trump announced 10% tariffs against Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland after they pushed back against his effort to acquire Greenland; tariffs set to increase to 25% in June. In response, the EU called an emergency meeting of its ambassadors in Brussels on Sunday.
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Roberta Metsola of Malta, president of the European Parliament, condemned Trump’s move ahead of the meeting.
“The measures against NATO allies announced today will not help in ensuring security in the Arctic. They risk the opposite, emboldening our joint enemies and those who wish to destroy our common values and way of life,” she said in a post on X on Saturday.
“Greenland and Denmark have both made clear: Greenland is not for sale and its sovereignty and territorial integrity needs to be respected. No threat of tariffs can or will change that fact,” Metsola added.
The eight countries tariffed by Trump released a joint statement on Sunday, saying the tariffs and threats over Greenland risked undermining trans-Atlantic relations and risked a “dangerous downward spiral.”
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“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” they added.
European leaders individually expressed broad alarm at Trump’s new round of tariffs as well.
“I wanted to say that the prediction of an increase in tariffs against those nations that choose to contribute to the security of Greenland is, in my opinion, a mistake, and obviously I don’t agree with it,” Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said.
She said she had called Trump to express her dissatisfaction with the move.
“I believe a meeting has been called at core level for now for the European Union, but I believe that at this stage it is very important to talk to each other and that it is very important to avoid an escalation, because we can work together to achieve an objective that is useful and necessary for everyone,” Meloni added.
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Finnish President Alexander Stubb insisted that “issues between allies should be resolved through discussion and shared rules of the game, not through pressure,” and warned that tariffs could lead to a “harmful spiral.”
After months of a lull in interest, Trump directed Washington’s focus back toward acquiring Greenland over the past week, taking some of his most audacious steps toward pressuring Denmark to cede it to U.S. control. The president has repeatedly insisted that the world’s largest island is essential for U.S. security, particularly given the needs of the U.S. Golden Dome missile defense system.
