Wednesday, February 4th saw the European Parliament (EP) say it would restart work towards greenlighting a key trade deal with the United States—after President Donald Trump backed off from his threat to seize Greenland.
The EP would still need to greenlight removing tariffs on U.S. industrial goods under the deal, but it froze the process in January as Trump’s pressure campaign escalated. MEP Bernd Lange, who leads the committee, stated
[BQ] Trade committee members remain committed to advancing work on the two legislative proposals expeditiously, provided the U.S. respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Union and its member states [as well as the July 2025 deal].
The committee could decide on the deal’s implementation at its next meeting on February 24th, ahead of a vote by the full chamber, he said.
The European Union and Trump clinched a deal last year after months of intense wrangling that saw Washington slap 15% tariffs on EU goods.
EU lawmakers opted to hold off ratifying the deal after Trump threatened tariffs on eight European states for failing to concede to his demands on Greenland.
Last month the U.S. leader backed off from his promise to take control of Denmark’s autonomous Arctic territory, after saying he had struck a “framework” deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater American influence.
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