The European Parliament convened a special plenary session in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday to address escalating tensions over Greenland, as transatlantic relations have been strained by renewed tariff threats from the United States to acquire the self-governing island.
The session centered on reaffirming Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland and forging a unified response of the European Union (EU). Lawmakers also debated diplomatic strategies aimed at preventing further deterioration of the situation.
While there is broad consensus among European lawmakers on respecting Denmark's sovereignty and opposing external coercion, divisions remain over how assertively the EU should respond to Washington.
Some member states pressed for a firm stance to defend European interests, while others called for caution, emphasizing the importance of NATO cohesion and broader strategic ties with the United States.
"There are some member states that are very, very, very keen in defending the territory. Others, they say, 'let's talk about that, because we are still in NATO, not only in the European Union', and NATO is, let's say, 'as the main actor is the United States, plus there is the trade tariffs that are threatening many of our countries'. So, it's complicated to have a unique and united and a common position here in the European Parliament," said Alessio Pisano, a media professional.
Despite these internal disagreements, major political groups in the European Parliament announced on Tuesday that they would pause the ratification of a key trade deal with the United States.
The deal, which had been months in the making, would have seen the EU remove tariffs on American industrial goods and grant preferential access to U.S. seafood and agricultural products, in exchange for the United States capping tariffs on most EU exports at 15 percent.
The suspension was widely interpreted as a clear signal to Washington amid the growing standoff over Greenland.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States would impose a 10-percent tariff from Feb. 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland, and raise the levy to 25 percent from the beginning of June unless a deal is reached for the United States to purchase the territory.
European lawmakers seek unified position on US tariff threats over Greenland
