European leaders are preparing coordinated countermeasures after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose steep tariffs on European countries over their opposition to his stated ambitions regarding Greenland.
“We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Monday at a press conference in Berlin, alongside French Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure. “Europe will respond with a united, clear response, and we are now preparing countermeasures together with our European partners.”
Mr. Trump said on Saturday that he could impose tariffs of up to 25% on European countries — including Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory — unless Greenland is ceded to the United States.
Several European nations, including Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, issued a joint statement over the weekend rejecting the threat.
Outlining Europe’s possible response, Mr. Klingbeil said it could involve three main steps. First, the existing tariff agreement with the United States could be put on hold. Second, European tariffs on U.S. imports — currently suspended until early February — could be reinstated. Third, the European Union could activate its broader set of instruments designed to respond to what he described as “economic blackmail.”
Mr. Lescure echoed the criticism, calling Mr. Trump’s remarks “blackmail.”
“Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable,” the French minister said. “We Europeans must remain united and coordinated in our response and, above all, be prepared to make full use of the instruments of the European Union. We are determined to defend our sovereignty.”
Mr. Lescure also announced that a meeting of G7 finance ministers would be convened in the coming days to discuss pressing global issues, including Greenland. France currently holds the chair of the G7, of which the United States is a member.
Mr. Klingbeil stressed that Europe’s tolerance for threats had reached its limit. “We are constantly experiencing a new confrontation that President Trump is seeking,” he said, adding that Europe would respond firmly and collectively.