Greenland and tariffs, EU not celebrating: “Context changed, but complexities with Trump remain”

Brussels – “Compared to 24 hours ago, the context is different, and we must start from this point.” And from here, EU sources say, the heads of state and government of the EU countries—expected in Brussels for the extraordinary summit convened after US President Donald Trump threatened to take Greenland, under penalty of new tariffs against European Union members—will start. This scenario no longer exists, because Trump has announced an agreement allowing the US to militarise the autonomous Danish territory, in a limited manner and under NATO auspices, a solution that avoids new tariffs but does not cancel the meeting of European leaders. 

The US is not annexing or conquering Greenland, and is even backing down on tariffs. This outcome is also the result of the twelve-star response. “After the threats, the leaders reacted immediately, with calm but clear positions,” Brussels is keen to emphasise. This is true. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, did so calmly but decisively; the European Parliament did so democratically, voting to activate the anti-unfair competition instrument; and governments did so uncompromisingly, moving soldiers to the Danish island. Trump has backtracked, or at least taken a significant step back. 

The problem is that Europeans do not trust Trump. When asked explicitly about the possibility of trusting the American president and his respect for the solution on Greenland, the same EU sources were unable to give a “yes”. “Let’s see what happens. The terms of what has been agreed will become clear, but we know that this is the beginning of the process.” This is the response coming from the EU institutions, and it is not a good sign. It is also, and above all, for this reason that the President of the European Council, António Costa, has decided not to cancel the summit in light of these developments. 

“The situation has changed,” certainly, but only as far as Greenland is concerned, and there are still question marks over the solution. It is unclear what this agreement entails, especially regarding Greenlandic raw materials. The underlying problem, according to sources in the European Union capital, is that “relations with the United States have changed, they have become complex, and we have to live with these complexities“. Therefore, the extraordinary summit of EU heads of state and government “serves to understand how to react, if necessary”. It is the EU that is preparing and implementing anti-Trump countermeasures.

This and many other current European and international issues will be discussed in Brussels on 4 February at the second edition of the Connact Annual Meeting, which will be held again this year in the halls of The Square.