New US tariffs: how can the EU fight back?
US President Donald Trump has announced punitive tariffs against eight European countries that oppose his plans for Greenland. The ten percent surcharges are to be introduced on 1 February and are to remain in effect until the Arctic island is acquired. The EU plans to reach a decision on countermeasures at a special summit to be held on Thursday. Commentators make their own recommendations for responses.
Trump could simply pull the plug
Europe's leverage is limited, warns the Süddeutsche Zeitung:
“Whether it's cloud services, online platforms or AI chips, when it comes to the IT sector Europe is structurally dependent on the US. Without American liquefied natural gas, nothing works in the EU. With its security guarantee and nuclear options, the US has the ultimate leverage. An angry Trump can simply pull the plug on Europe. ... Calls to finally stand up to Trump because he has now crossed a red line with his obsession with Greenland are therefore trite and irrelevant. Trump has already crossed many red lines. And the truth is that Europe is in no position to engage in the kind of confrontation that China successfully waged last year.”
Activate the bazooka
There can only be one response to Trump's punitive tariffs, argues Berlingske:
“At this week's meeting, the governments of the EU countries must decide to activate the strongest weapon of all: the so-called bazooka of trade policy, which serves to ward off economic coercion [the Anti-Coercion Instrument]. ... Trump has started the conflict. Europe must not escalate it further, but it must be prepared to bear the economic costs of a direct reaction to Trump's tariff threats. Experiences with the US-China trade war since the spring show that Trump backs down as soon as the costs of his trade wars become too high for the US itself. Engaging in a trade war is not something anyone can do for free. But we must finally recognise that the alternative is worse.”
Baltic Sea countries need to tread more cautiously
In Rzeczpospolita, political scientist Marek A. Cichocki warns Poland against siding with the US's opponents in the conflict over Greenland:
“The situation is certainly tricky, because we must also respect the sensitivities of the Scandinavian countries, which are our important allies with regard to the Baltic Sea. But this is not the same as following the path laid out by Paris and Berlin, which are turning the Greenland issue into a proxy war against Trump. We must not get involved in this. Not because we love Trump, but because we have our own security interests to defend.”
World Cup boycott would make an impact
Europe should threaten Trump with boycotting the Fifa World Cup, most of which will take place in the US this summer, Die Zeit suggests:
“If France, England, Germany and Spain were missing from the line-up, it would no longer be a test of strength between the world's most powerful countries. The World Cup would degenerate into a relatively insignificant tournament featuring minor players. Something Trump would hate. ... His vain behaviour at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup gives an idea of how much he's looking forward to using the world's most important sports event to his own advantage. The threat of a boycott is no longer simply a moral issue. It would carry political weight. So why not put the issue on the agenda for the EU special summit? ... That's the language Trump understands.”
Resolute action needed
Europe faces a choice between showing strength or submitting, Le Figaro argues:
“The time has come to react - or disappear. To choose between sovereignty and vassalage. Europe has weapons at its disposal, especially economic ones, such as the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which it has never dared to use before and which Emmanuel Macron says should be activated now. Tariffs against tariffs, sanctions against sanctions: we have to acknowledge that the transatlantic alliance is in tatters and make it clear to Trump's America that in future it will be treated as what it is - a hostile power. ... The EU must unite around a hard core of sovereign states that share the same existential ambitions.”
Stop playing weak
The EU needs to finally fight back much harder, De Telegraaf demands:
“China and Canada have proven that Trump only responds to tough reactions. EU countries finally seem to be grasping this. ... And it's about time too. We have been playing down our importance for far too long. With 500 million consumers, Europe is an indispensable market for America, and leading companies such as ASML are crucial for the technology sector in the US. We must become aware of our own strength and dare to give Trump a taste of his own medicine. Otherwise, he'll just continue to run roughshod over us.”
Just bluffing
Trump's threats can hardly be taken seriously but they still pose a challenge for Europe, says La Stampa:
“To get Greenland, Donald Trump is forcing Europe to its knees - or vice versa: Greenland is providing him with a pretext to force Europe to its knees. The announced tariffs against eight European allies are a brutal slap in the face. The reasons given are childish and historically inaccurate. ... If this is a test of strength, Europe must be strong enough to confront it and not shy away from it. Then it will discover that Trump is far less powerful in this matter than he pretends to be. The use of tariffs hides a weak hand. Like a poker player who bluffs and tries to win the pot by raising the stakes.”
Europe showing courage
The Guardian sees the EU's united response to Trump's punitive tariffs against Greenland as an encouraging sign:
“This is not about economic security, unfair trade or protecting American workers. It is about using tariffs as a weapon to force nations to submit. The response from Europe has been united and swift. That in itself should send a message. ... Even Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, seen as ideologically close to Mr Trump, publicly called the tariff threat a 'mistake'. ... Mr Trump believes influence comes through ultimatums and coercion. But power, in the real world, rests on trust, predictability and persuading others to follow.”
Trump's second front against the continent
Only Congress can stop Trump now, says political analyst Volodymyr Horbach on Facebook:
“With his decision to impose new tariffs on the European allies of the Kingdom of Denmark, Donald Trump is effectively opening a second front against Europe. The second after Putin. ... This is no longer mere rhetoric in some political game. ... In my opinion, it's not just an act; Trump is indeed striving to go down in US history – just as Putin wanted to go down in Russian history. ... Putin's plans have been thwarted by Ukraine, although it's not over yet. And Trump's plans can probably only be stopped by Congress. No one else. There are still reasonable citizens and their representatives in the US. And relatively free elections are coming up soon.”