Europe remains ‘united and coordinated’ in response to US Greenland tariffs
European countries targeted by US president Donald Trump’s threat of higher tariffs due to their opposition to his plans for Greenland “will remain united” in their response, they said in a joint statement on Sunday.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK said. “We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”
The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states are meeting on Sunday evening to discuss the situation in Greenland, an autonomous territory attached to the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump said on Saturday that he would impose import tariffs of 10 per cent from 1 February on countries that have sent troops to Greenland in opposition to his plan to buy the island.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has strongly criticised the customs duty. “We are not the ones looking for conflict,” she told the Danish news agency Ritzau, adding that she was satisfied with the joint European response. “Europe will not be intimidated.”
"We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty"
The duty will be increased to 25 per cent on 1 June if no agreement is reached for the sale of Greenland to the US.
Belgium’s Foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, has condemned the measure, calling it “incomprehensible and unnecessarily hostile”.
“These discussions among allies are met with laughter in Russia and China, who are probably watching this with a bucket of popcorn,” said Prévot, of Les Engagés. He said the “unprecedented situation” called for a “significant and united European response” in order to “safeguard our credibility and respectability”.
"We must show solidarity with our colleagues"
Several European countries and NATO members sent troops to Greenland last week as part of a reconnaissance mission called Arctic Endurance. Belgium is also sending a liaison officer to Greenland. It was not included on Trump’s list of sanctioned countries on Saturday, but “there is no guarantee that this will not be the case in the future and we must show solidarity with our colleagues”, said Prévot.
French president Emmanuel Macron earlier announced that he intended to request the activation of the EU’s “anti-coercion instrument” in the event of new US tariffs.
This tool, which requires a qualified majority of EU countries to implement, allows the freezing of access to European public procurement markets or the blocking of certain investments.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who is visiting Seoul, said she had spoken to Trump and told him she considers the tariffs to be a mistake.
A demonstration in solidarity with Greenland in Copenhagen, 17 January 2026 © KRISTIAN TUXEN LADEGAARD BERG / NURPHOTO
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