French President Emmanuel Macron will ask the European Union to activate its highly effective anti-coercion instrument if the US goes forward with imposing tariffs on European international locations amid the standoff over Greenland, based on officers and media experiences.Macron’s workplace stated on Sunday that the French president would request the activation of the instrument on behalf of France, reported information company AFP.
The instrument, typically described because the EU’s commerce “bazooka,” has by no means been used earlier than however permits the bloc to curb imports of products and providers or limit entry to its single market in response to financial coercion.The transfer comes after US President Donald Trump introduced contemporary tariffs on Saturday focusing on eight European international locations, together with France, over their help for Greenland. Trump stated a ten per cent tariff on items from international locations reminiscent of France, Germany, the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Finland would take impact from February 1, with the levy rising to 25 per cent in June except “a Deal is reached for the Full and Whole buy of Greenland.”Macron, who has described the tariff risk as “unacceptable,” has been in touch with European counterparts and can formally elevate the difficulty on the EU stage, Bloomberg reported, citing an individual near the French president. EU nationwide ambassadors are set to satisfy on Sunday to debate the bloc’s subsequent steps.In response to Bloomberg, the anti-coercion instrument permits the EU to reply to deliberate commerce stress by third international locations by means of measures reminiscent of tariffs, new taxes on expertise corporations, curbs on funding, limiting market entry or proscribing companies from bidding for public contracts.The dispute has additionally solid doubt on the validity of the EU-US commerce deal agreed final 12 months. As per Bloomberg, Macron’s workforce believes Trump’s tariff plan over Greenland calls into query the deal, which has been partially applied however nonetheless requires parliamentary approval.France’s stance has discovered backing amongst a number of European leaders. Germany’s vice-chancellor and finance minister Lars Klingbeil stated “a line had been crossed,” whereas Denmark’s defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen referred to as the transfer “unacceptable,” based on the Monetary Occasions.In the meantime, Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz posted on X, “We stand resolutely and united by the aspect of Denmark and the individuals of Greenland. As a Nato member, we’re dedicated to strengthening safety within the Arctic. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and carry the chance of escalation.” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb warned that tariffs would “undermine the transatlantic relationship and danger a harmful downward spiral.”Macron has additionally reiterated that Europe is not going to change its place on Greenland. “No intimidation or risk will affect us,” he stated.The EU’s anti-coercion instrument, first adopted in 2023, was designed primarily as a deterrent towards financial stress. Whereas some EU diplomats stay cautious about activating it, Sunday’s emergency talks are anticipated to form Europe’s response to the tariffs, which a number of European leaders have criticised as coercive.
