From the assertive Macron to the possibilistic Merz, Europe is also divided on Greenland. But von der Leyen promises: “Ready to act with unity and determination.”
Here we go again. For the second time in less than a year the European Union finds itself facing very strong pressures coming from the other side of the Atlantic. As happened for i duties, Greenland is also putting the solidity of the European bloc to the test.
Divided Europe
While the American President continues his assiduous media campaign to achieve full control of Greenland, Europe is studying possible countermoves, with one certainty: there is no strategy to follow.
On the one hand, a tangible and certain threat: the 10% American tariffs (which will rise to 25% in June) imposed on Northern European countries if an agreement is not found for the purchase of Greenland.
On the other hand, various hypotheses, none yet clearly outlined: the use of the Anti-coercion mechanism, the annulment of the trade agreement signed last August in Scotland (currently only suspended by the European Parliament) or the imposition of reciprocal tariffs.
In short, the only certainties seem to be the divisions present on the continentamong those who push for a strong response, like the French President Emmanuel Macronand those who instead call for calm and to avoid dangerous escalations between allies, like the prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Macron the most assertive
Among the European leaders who have raised their voices the most in recent days is certainly Emmanuel Macron. The French president, speaking yesterday from Davos, lashed out forcefully against the American President: «Trump wants a vassal Europe, we prefer respect to bullies».
There’s also room for a jab to the use of “the unacceptable lever of duties against sovereignty”which however Europe instead accepted in last year’s agreement (15% duties on European products exported to America, none for American products in Europe).
Macron’s proposal to respond to threats of annexation of Greenland is therefore the use of Anti-coercion toolwhich provides for the imposition of customs duties, restrictions on services, investments, intellectual property or exclusion from public procurement.
Merz open to negotiations
However, the position of the tenant of the Elysée is a minority. At the head of another current within the EU we find the German chancellor Friedrich Merzthat today, before an electrical fault on Air Force One caused a three-hour delay in Trump’s arrival in Switzerland, he had a meeting scheduled with the American President.
As recently as yesterday, the chancellor announced that he was “ready to discuss with the United States, and the basis of these discussions should always be the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Today, however, as reported by Politico Germany would join France in requesting the Commission to “explore the use of the Anti-Coercion Instrument”, which, translating into the biblical times of the EU bureaucracy, would mean further weeks of discussions and negotiations.
According to Merz, there is “broad agreement” among European leaders on the fact that “further tariff threats will not strengthen transatlantic relations, but weaken them». An undoubtedly true statement which nevertheless highlights a self-evident truth: the United States is ready to take the risk, much of Europe is not.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also fully embraces the German line of thought and already upon her return from Seoul, the last stop on her trip to Asia, he had made a round of phone calls with the various European leaders to coordinate the line to be taken.
The basic assumption, said in a low voice, is that Europe, beyond the slogans, is not independent. It is not so from a security or economic point of view, in both cases a sudden break with Washington (which remains unthinkable) would have catastrophic consequences.
So here it is launching into an open conflict with the United States, while Ukraine continues to be financed by billions and dialogue with Russia is practically non-existent, would be geopolitical suicide for the Brussels elite.
The priority of Merz and Meloni therefore seems to be to prevent the Greenland issue from having such deleterious effects as to put the very existence of NATO at risk.
Von der Leyen: “We are at a crossroads”
Speaking from Strasbourg, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that with the USA «we share the same strategic assessment on Arctic security. And that’s why the additional rates proposed are simply wrong”.
«This week – continued von der Leyen – the leaders will meet to discuss our response. We are at a crossroads. Europe prefers dialogue and solutions, but we are fully ready to actif necessary, with unity, urgency and determination.”
Donald Trump is unlikely to back down on his demands. Von der Leyen’s claims will soon be put to the test facts.
