EU lawmakers are ready to stop approving the EU's trade agreement with the US after US President Donald Trump wants to punish Denmark and a number of European countries with additional tariffs because of Greenland. This is reported by the media Politico and Bloomberg.
The chairman of the European People's Party (EPP), the largest political group in the EU Parliament, wrote on X on Saturday that an agreement with the US is no longer possible due to Trump's threats. The EU's agreement to lower tariffs on American products should be put on hold, says chairman Manfred Weber.
- The EPP is positive about the trade agreement between the EU and the US, but in light of Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland, it is not possible to approve the agreement at this time. The 0 percent tariffs on American products must be put on hold, writes Manfred Weber.
On Friday, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he will impose a ten percent tariff on goods from Denmark and several other European countries from February 1st until an agreement has been reached on the American acquisition of Greenland. The other countries are Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.
From June 1st, 2026, the tariff will be increased to 25 percent, said Trump, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to gain control over Greenland.
Majority to block approval looms
The EU's trade agreement with the US was concluded this summer, but it still needs the approval of the EU Parliament. If the EPP joins the more left-wing political groups in the parliament, they will likely have enough votes to delay or block approval, writes Bloomberg.
A vocal group of EU lawmakers has long criticized the agreement, arguing that it was too biased in favor of the United States. Valérie Hayer, leader of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament, also does not want to approve the trade agreement with the United States, she wrote on Saturday evening on X.
The same message comes from Iratxe García Pérez, chairman of the socialist S&D group in the European Parliament, on X. Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's trade committee, also believes that work on the trade agreement should be paused.
- A new line has been crossed. Unacceptable. Parliament's work on implementing the agreement should be suspended until the US stops the threats, writes Bernd Lange on X.
/ritzau/
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