The European Union with Donald Trump to resolve the crisis around Greenland that has kept the Twenty-Seven in suspense in a frenetic week of threats and intense diplomacy. But the collective relief expressed by European leaders during their extraordinary meeting in Brussels, in which they celebrated the “unity” and “firmness” demonstrated before Washington, was contained. No one is under any illusion that there will be a before and after of the fight for the Arctic island and that, with such a volatile American president, the next crisis may be just around the corner. The conclusion of the meeting has therefore been, beyond reiterating the “unequivocal” support for Denmark and Greenland, that Europe must be better prepared for new attacks, although it does not lose hope of reestablishing a “respectful” relationship with a United States whose alliance it neither wants nor can renounce.
“We believe that relations between partners and allies must be managed in a cordial and respectful manner,” stressed the president of the European Council, António Costa, who has advocated trying to refocus on the trade agreement with the United States closed last summer. “The imposition of additional tariffs would have been incompatible with the EU-US trade agreement,” he highlighted about Trump’s threat to punish European countries that had sent troops to Greenland with tariffs of up to 25%. Now that the American president himself has assured that this ultimatum is off the table, both parties must “focus on the implementation of the bilateral agreement,” the Portuguese stated.
Because the objective, he stressed at the end of the meeting in Brussels, remains “the effective stabilization of trade relations between the European Union and the United States.”
In this sense, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, has suggested that the European Parliament quickly resume the work of ratifying the trade agreement that the MEPs decided on. “We are happy to see that de-escalation is on the table. That means that we can resume our internal discussions that we had paused,” he said upon arrival at the meeting. However, the president of the European Parliament’s Trade Commission, the German social democrat Bernd Lange, has made it clear that they will not rush decisions.
“There is no place for false security. The next threat is upon us. That is why it is even more important that we establish clear limits, use all available legal instruments and apply them as appropriate to each situation. We must continue to act with this level of confidence,” he said on social networks, insisting that only starting next Monday will discussions on the issue begin.
And distrust continues to dominate the atmosphere in Europe. “Transatlantic relations have suffered a serious blow last week,” acknowledged the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas. Hence, another of the summit’s consensus is that we should not let our guard down: Europe must be prepared if Washington once again exerts pressure—coercion, as multiple leaders have openly denounced—against the Old Continent.
The European Union believes it has found, after a year of hesitations in the face of Trump’s threats, the formula to respond to Washington: “firmness” without provoking escalations, “determination” and “unity” of the Twenty-seven, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has summarized. Also, for once, the response has been quick and forceful: Brussels immediately made it clear that it had response elements that could do a lot of damage to the United States, from lifting the suspension of additional tariffs on US imports worth 93 billion euros to making use of its anti-coercion instrument, never used before. “We followed four key principles: firmness, approach, preparation and unity, and it was effective. Therefore, going forward, we must maintain this same approach,” claimed the German.
“The European Union will continue to defend its interests and will defend itself, its Member States, its citizens and its companies against any form of coercion. It has the power and the tools to do so and will do so when necessary,” Costa said.
Despite Washington’s “unacceptable” threats, as European capitals had denounced in recent days, it has been recognized in Brussels that there is a grain of truth in Trump’s claims regarding security in the Arctic, an area of increasingly geostrategic importance.
“We have collectively invested very little in the Arctic and in the security of the Arctic,” acknowledged Von de Leyen, who in recent days has announced that work is already underway on a “package to support security in the Arctic” that will contain strong European investments in the region.
The Twenty-Seven have also given their support to the principle of an agreement on Greenland negotiated between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Of course, as long as it is clear that in matters of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Denmark and Greenland are the only ones who can decide.
“Denmark and Greenland have the full support of the European Union. Only the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters that concern them,” Costa stressed in this regard. The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederkisen, thanked her European partners for their solidarity and support, while affirming that the principle of agreement respects the Danish and European “red line” on sovereignty. In this framework, it has declared itself willing to discuss security cooperation in Greenland with the United States.
“We have to work together respectfully and without threatening each other,” he also stressed. The Dane plans to meet this Friday in Brussels with Rutte, a closed-door meeting in which the points of an agreement should be discussed in more detail, which for the moment are nothing more than a “skeleton” of a pact with many doubts still to be resolved, according to diplomatic sources.
