The European Parliament has officially suspended the US trade deal ratification, directly responding to President Trump’s threat of 10% tariffs unless Europe backs his Greenland acquisition plans. This parliamentary decision represents the most substantial material response Brussels has delivered against what multiple European leaders characterized last week as blackmail.
Trade committee head Bernd Lange made the EU’s position unambiguous, stating that compromise remains impossible while threats concerning Greenland persist. The suspended agreement had promised American exporters unprecedented access to European markets with zero tariffs on numerous industrial goods.
Despite the trade deal suspension, the EU’s commitment to purchase $750 billion in American energy remains fully operational. Lange confirmed this energy arrangement exists independently from the tariff negotiations, demonstrating Brussels’ selective approach to the crisis.
The deteriorating diplomatic atmosphere became evident when Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, revised her travel plans following her parliamentary address. She cancelled a Davos visit that could have resulted in a Trump meeting, returning directly to Brussels to prepare for an emergency summit.
The Thursday evening emergency gathering will examine Brussels’ full array of potential countermeasures. Options include deploying €93 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs and activating an anti-coercion instrument never before used in practice. Originally designed to counter Chinese economic pressure, this nuclear option could enable the EU to restrict American businesses from accessing European markets. While potential targets range from technology companies like Apple and Netflix to aircraft manufacturers and agricultural exporters, European officials candidly acknowledge that consumers could face higher costs or restrictions on accessing American products and services as a result of such measures.