Greenland, EU uncertain between dialogue and reaction: Extraordinary Council today
Commission President changes tone: 'We will have to abandon traditional European caution'. The trade agreement with the US has been frozen, and counter-tariffs and the use of the anti-coercion instrument are being considered. And even the hypothesis of a boycott of the football World Cup appears
from our correspondent Beda Romano
BRUSSELS - For the more combative countries, today's extraordinary summit between the EU heads of state and government will be useful to identify the most appropriate instruments in responding to American initiatives on the Greenlandic or trade front. For the more cautious countries, the summit will serve to take stock of the situation. In the background, the shared feeling of frustration with Washington is strong; the desire to break away from the American ally is still a source of division.
In a speech yesterday in Strasbourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined the open questions: 'The change in the international order is not only radical, it is permanent. The speed of change far exceeds anything we have seen in recent decades (...) We will have to abandon traditional European caution (...) The world is changing faster than our mentality'.
Afterwards, Ms von der Leyen added: 'Our institutions, our governments and our societies, all of us, must transform the way we think and act'. The Commission President seemed more combative yesterday. Even earlier in the week, one of her spokespersons urged avoiding escalation with the Trump administration, despite resounding threats to annex Greenland and impose new tariffs.
Has Mrs von der Leyen decided to up the ante to dodge criticism of the particularly unbalanced trade agreement signed with the Trump administration last summer? No one has forgotten the photo of the smiling president with a thumbs up next to Donald Trump. Or does the president feel that the European wind is blowing towards more assertiveness towards the United States? Probably both factors weigh in.
Today's summit will at least serve to take stock of the situation. On the trade front, the EU may respond to threats of new tariffs from the US with counter-tariffs or with a 2023 regulation allowing it to react to attempts at economic coercion by targeting large and influential digital companies. There are also rumours of a possible boycott of the World Cup taking place in the United States this year.
