The European Parliament has taken definitive action by suspending the US trade agreement ratification, responding to President Trump’s threat of 10% tariffs conditional on European support for his Greenland acquisition. This decision marks the strongest material response Brussels has delivered against what European leaders have termed blackmail tactics.
Trade committee chairman Bernd Lange established unequivocal terms for future negotiations, insisting that threats involving Greenland must end before any possibility of compromise exists. The suspended deal would have provided American exporters with zero-percent tariffs on many industrial products entering European markets.
Despite the trade deal freeze, the EU’s $750 billion energy purchase commitment remains fully intact. Lange confirmed this energy arrangement operates separately from the tariff negotiations, allowing Brussels to preserve energy cooperation while taking a principled stand.
The diplomatic chill became visible when Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, modified her post-parliamentary schedule, returning directly to Brussels to coordinate emergency summit preparations.
The emergency summit has been specifically scheduled for 7 PM on Thursday evening, reflecting the urgency with which European leaders are treating the crisis. The precisely timed gathering will examine Brussels’ full toolkit of potential countermeasures, including deploying €93 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs and activating an unprecedented anti-coercion instrument. Originally designed to counter Chinese economic pressure, this mechanism could restrict US businesses from accessing European markets. Potential targets include technology companies, cryptocurrency platforms, aircraft manufacturers, and agricultural exporters.
