EU leaders to meet on US tariff threat over Greenland and potential retaliation

BRUSSELS – European Union leaders will hold an emergency meeting in the coming days to discuss US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat as they explore possible retaliatory measures.

The leaders plan to meet in person near the end of this week, according to an EU official.

Member states are discussing several options for how to respond, including imposing retaliatory levies on €93 billion (S$139 billion) of US goods, according to people familiar with the talks.

EU ambassadors met on the evening of Jan 18 in Brussels as they seek to devise a joint response to Mr Trump’s announcement that he would

put 10 per cent tariffs on eight European countries

on Feb 1 in relation to their actions in Greenland.

European Council president Antonio Costa said in a social media post after the meeting that member states agreed to remain unified in support of Greenland and Denmark, and that Mr Trump’s new tariffs would be “incompatible with the EU-US trade agreement.”

Among the other options being discussed is using a powerful tool known as

the anti-coercion instrument

, added the people, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive conversations.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested on Jan 18 the bloc should consider using that new tool, although France backed away from using it in the past after Mr Trump threatened to retaliate.

In 2025, the EU had approved retaliatory tariffs on €93 billion of US products but suspended their implementation after the two sides reached a trade pact.

European lawmakers suggested over the weekend that they will hold off on approving that trade pact, citing Mr Trump’s latest move. 

The Financial Times reported earlier on the discussions over reviving retaliatory tariffs. BLOOMBERG