Brussels: The European Union convened an emergency meeting after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on several European countries opposing the U.S.'s interest in acquiring Greenland.
According to Thai News Agency, Cyprus, the current EU president, requested an urgent assembly of ambassadors from the 27 EU member states. This meeting was scheduled for 5:00 PM Brussels time, aligning with 11:00 PM Thai time. The call for discussion came as a response to President Trump's announcement on social media, where he declared a 10% tariff set to begin on February 1st against eight European nations with military presence in Greenland. These countries include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The tariff is slated to increase to 25% by June 1st, pending a resolution on the U.S. acquisition of Greenland.
The announcement sparked disapproval among European and U.S. parliament members. There were indications from European lawmakers of potential delays in ratifying the EU-US trade agreement signed in July 2025 by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Trump. The agreement, which currently stipulates a 15% U.S. tariff on EU goods while EU tariffs on U.S. goods remain at 0%, faces scrutiny. Previously, the European Parliament postponed a decision on whether to suspend the agreement's ratification, initially scheduled for January 26.