Europe will not be blackmailed, lining up ‘clear, united’ response, ministers say
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French Finance Minister Roland Lescure says Europe must make it clear that “the limit has been reached”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN – The German and French finance ministers said on Jan 19 European powers would not be blackmailed and there would be a clear and united response to threats of escalated US tariffs over Greenland.
US President Donald Trump vowed on Jan 17 to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on imports from European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland
“Germany and France agree: We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said at his ministry where he received his French counterpart.
“Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable,” French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said at the same event.
EU leaders are set to discuss options
“We Europeans must make it clear: The limit has been reached,” Mr Klingbeil said. “Our hand is extended, but we are not prepared to be blackmailed.”
The other option is the so far never used “Anti-Coercion Instrument”, which could limit access to public tenders, investments or banking activity, or restrict trade in services, in which the US has a surplus with the bloc, including in digital services.
Mr Lescure said although the EU’s anti-coercion instrument was above all a deterrent, it should be considered in the current circumstances.
“France wants us to examine this possibility, hoping, of course, that deterrence will prevail,” Mr Lescure said.
He added that he hopes the transatlantic relationship will return to being “friendly and based on negotiation, rather than a relationship based on threats and blackmail”.
Mr Klingbeil said he is not interested in escalation, as it will come at the expense of economies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Mr Klingbeil and Mr Lescure’s US counterpart Scott Bessent said on Jan 18 that European “weakness” necessitated US control of Greenland for global stability.
Mr Lescure said Europe needed to adopt reforms to boost its technological edge and productivity in order to prove that Europe was strong and not weak.
“Our objective in the coming days, weeks, quarters and years is to politely but firmly convince Scott Bessent that he is wrong,” he said. REUTERS
