FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiUS-EU relations are being tested again following Trump's announcements to impose tariffs.
US President Donald Trump has vowed to "100%" carry out his threat to impose tariffs on European countries that oppose his demand to take control of Greenland.
European leaders will not “offer much resistance” to his bid to buy Greenland, the US president told reporters in Florida. He also threatened a 200% tax on French wines and champagne in response to Macron’s statement that France would not join the Gaza peace council.
"Well, nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon, so, you know, that's fine. I'm going to put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagne, and he's going to join in. But he's not obligated to," the US president warned.
So Trump doesn't seem to be stopping. He published a photo montage in Truth showing him holding the American flag on Greenland soil. Also in the photo are Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Meanwhile, what stands out is the sign that says "Greenland, US territory by 2026."
European allies have rallied around Greenland's sovereignty. Denmark's foreign minister stressed that the US president cannot threaten his path to ownership of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated the UK's position that the future of Greenland is for "Greenlanders and Danes" alone to decide.
On Monday, Trump refused to rule out the use of force and insisted he would proceed with tariffs on goods arriving in the US from the United Kingdom and seven other NATO allies.
Trump has also said he will impose a 10% tariff on "every good" shipped to the US from February 1, rising to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to buy Greenland from Denmark.
He said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland - all of which are members of the NATO defense alliance, which was founded in 1949.
Second financial blow to the EU
Laws or bans that could suspend licenses for American companies or tax American services could take months to take effect. Trump's latest threats risk upsetting trade deals agreed with the United Kingdom and the EU last summer, further straining relations with America's closest allies.
The EU has implemented the deal with the Trump administration but has yet to ratify it. While some leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have supported it to avoid escalation, many Europeans have criticized it from the start. Trump's latest move has reignited uncertainty.
Manfred Weber, the chairman of the EPP parliamentary group, wrote in X that "in light of Donald Trump's threats on Greenland, the approval of an EU-US agreement is not possible at this stage."
In 2024, U.S.-Germany trade reached $236 billion, followed by the United Kingdom at $147.7 billion, the Netherlands at $122.27 billion and France at $103 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
However, there is a “window.” The tariffs target specific countries rather than the EU as a whole, which could allow trade to be redirected within the single market. There are no borders between Spain, Italy, Germany and France, and American products are relatively easy to channel through another country.
What's left behind?
An immediate 10% tariff won't hurt as much as the long-term consequences of an ever-strained relationship with the US's largest trading partners.
The uncertainty over whether Trump will escalate or retreat is what is driving partners to strategically distance themselves from the US market. Uncertainty is the enemy of growth, and these decisions become partially irreversible as trust erodes even after a change of President.
The US's biggest trading partners are already strengthening their relationships elsewhere. Canada announced a "strategic partnership" with China, while the EU reached a deal with Mercosur, ending 25 years of negotiations.
The real cost of trade conflicts is not the tariffs that change from day to day. They are the factories that were never built because companies didn't have the security they needed to invest.
Trump nuk është në dijeni të rrotave të ekonomisë! Më vjen keq që ky "njeri tregtar" po drejton ekonominë më të madhe globale! Nëse jo Capitol Hill, çdo vend duhet të qëndrojë i paprekur së bashku për të ndaluar shfaqjet e tij të pakuptimta!