BRUSSELS, January 19. /TASS/. The EU is preparing to take the most decisive measures against the US, including tariffs amounting to 93 billion euros, to prevent US President Donald Trump from attempting to seize control of Greenland, Politico reported, citing diplomats and officials.
According to the newspaper, representatives of the 27 member states held a three-hour emergency meeting in Brussels on Sunday, emphasizing "the importance of readying tangible options to fight back against Trump in case talks with Washington over the coming week don't lead to a swift resolution." European Council President Antonio Costa also intends to convene an EU summit this week.
According to a European diplomat familiar with the negotiations, retaliatory tariffs worth 93 billion dollars could be imposed "very quickly" compared to other options under discussion. Another option is the use of the EU's so-called "trade bazooka," or Anti-Coercion Instrument. With its help, Brussels could restrict American banks' activities, cancel patents, or prevent companies from receiving income from software updates or streaming.
Currently, governments have not asked the European Commission to apply this instrument. The community has "enough options" at its disposal, including "diplomatic and economic possibilities." "Some can be spoken about publicly, others can’t," a diplomat told Politico. According to another diplomatic source, it may take "two to three days to discuss this to figure out the next stage."
Earlier, Trump announced on his Truth Social page that the US would begin imposing 10% tariffs on the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France, and Sweden. These tariffs will remain in place until the parties reach an agreement on Washington's "complete and total acquisition" of Greenland. According to Trump, this decision will take effect on February 1. The US leader specified that the tariff rate will increase to 25% on June 1.