According to reports by Bloomberg, the Guardian and other media outlets, European Commission Chairman Von Derlein responded on the 20th to U.S. President Trump‘s tariff threats to European countries over the Greenland issue, calling it a “mistake.” Von Derlein emphasized that the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Denmark and Greenland are non-negotiable.
“The European Union and the United States reached an agreement on a trade agreement last July,” von Derlein said in a speech in Davos, Switzerland. “Whether it‘s politics or business, an agreement is an agreement. When friends shake hands, it must mean something.”
Vondeline said that Europe viewed Americans not only as “allies” but also as “friends,” and she warned against dragging the situation into a vicious cycle that keeps getting worse.
Trump announced on the 17th that from February 1, all goods exported to the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will be subjected to a 10% tariff, and the tariff rate will be raised to 25% from June 1, until an agreement is reached on the “complete and complete purchase of Greenland.”
As early as July last year, the European Union was criticized for making too many concessions in its trade agreement with the United States, and now Trump is brandishing the “tariff club,” provoking strong dissatisfaction among European countries.
In Davos on the 20th of this month, Vondeline said the EU‘s response to the U.S. would be “firm, united and appropriate,” but did not specify what form it would take.
Furthermore, Vondeline introduced that Europe is formulating a package of Arctic security plans, which includes three points: first, Danish and Greenland territorial sovereignty and complete non-negotiable; second, a large-scale increase in investment in Greenland; and third, cooperation with the United States on broader Arctic security issues, “which is in the mutual interest of both sides.”
The European Commission spokesperson, Olof Gill, had previously stated that the EU would hold an emergency summit in Brussels, Belgium, on the 22nd to discuss issues such as Trump‘s tariff threats and assess possible countermeasures the EU might adopt.
There are reports that EU countries are considering imposing tariffs on European-American goods worth 93 billion euros, or restricting American enterprises from entering the EU market.