President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen talk during the signing ceremony of the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, in Asunción, Paraguay on January 17, 2026.
Luis Robayo / AFP
One option under consideration is a package of tariffs targeting approximately €93 billion worth of U.S. imports.
The European Union is weighing its response after U.S. president Donald Trump signaled that Washington could impose new tariffs on several European countries over their opposition to U.S. plans regarding Greenland.
EU diplomats said on Sunday, January 18th, that member states have broadly agreed to intensify efforts to dissuade the United States from moving forward with the tariffs, while simultaneously preparing retaliatory measures should the duties be implemented.
President Trump has vowed to introduce escalating tariffs from February 1st on Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, as well as the UK and Norway. The measures would remain in place until the United States is permitted to purchase Greenland, which Trump has repeatedly described as strategically vital to U.S. national security.
European Union leaders have strongly criticized the tariff threat, describing it as a “dangerous downward spiral.” An emergency meeting of the heads of Member States is expected to take place in Brussels on Thursday, January 22nd to discuss possible responses. European Council President António Costa confirmed that he had decided to convene an extraordinary summit “given the significance of recent developments and in order to further coordinate.”
One option under consideration is a package of tariffs targeting approximately €93 billion worth of U.S. imports. EU diplomats said these measures could automatically take effect on February 6th, following a six-month suspension period.
Another option is the so-called Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), a tool that has never been used before. If activated, it could restrict U.S. access to EU public tenders, investments, banking activities or trade in services, including digital services, an area in which the United States currently runs a surplus with the bloc.
“All options are on the table,” one EU diplomat said, noting that discussions with U.S. officials are expected to continue, including talks scheduled on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he spoke with President Trump about the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic following the tariff threats and indicated that discussions would continue. “We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week,” Rutte said.
Trump sent a letter to Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre in which he said he no longer felt “obliged to think purely of peace.” The letter, which was forwarded to several European ambassadors in Washington by National Security Council staff, questioned Denmark’s ability to protect Greenland and argued that U.S. control of the territory was necessary for global security.
The U.S. president stated in the letter
The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland.
Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.
