EU lawmakers freeze ratification of US trade deal amid Trump’s Greenland tariff threats

The move by the European Parliament signals growing unease within the 27-nation bloc as it considers how strongly to respond if Washington follows through on its warnings.

Lawmakers had been preparing to vote in the coming weeks on removing tariffs on US industrial goods under the agreement.

While the delay does not cancel the deal reached in July after months of tense negotiations that followed US tariffs of up to 15% on EU exports, it sends a clear political message to the White House.

“It is an extremely powerful lever. I don’t think companies would agree to give up the European market,” AFP, quoted Valérie Hayer, president of the centrist Renew Europe group, said, adding that the decision would put pressure on US businesses.

Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on six EU countries, including France and Germany, unless they support his push to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

EU leaders are set to hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday evening to discuss the escalating standoff.

The bloc is weighing several response options, including formally putting last year’s trade deal on hold and reviving a €93 billion ($108 billion) package of retaliatory tariffs against US goods, AFP reported.

That retaliation package was approved at the height of last year’s EU-US trade dispute but was suspended until February 6 in an effort to prevent a full-blown trade war.

Beyond tariffs, French President Emmanuel Macron is advocating the use of the EU’s powerful anti-coercion trade instrument if Trump carries out his threats, a move that would allow the bloc to respond more aggressively to economic pressure from third countries.

The standoff underscores rising tensions between Washington and its European allies as Trump’s Greenland stance continues to ripple through global trade and diplomacy.