Overview
- Trump announced new import duties on Germany and seven other European NATO partners—10% from February 1, rising to 25% in June—linking the move to securing U.S. control over Greenland.
- The EU is preparing coordinated countermeasures, including possible activation of its Anti‑Coercion Instrument and the swift reinstatement of previously suspended tariffs on roughly €93 billion in U.S. goods.
- European Parliament leaders removed the recent EU–US tariff agreement from their agenda, signaling that ratification is off the table in response to the pressure tactics.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump, with further engagement expected at the World Economic Forum in Davos as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks a direct meeting.
- U.S. finance chief Scott Bessent framed the Greenland push as a security necessity, while bipartisan senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis warned the rhetoric weakens NATO; IfW economists estimate a 10% tariff would have only a minimal direct hit to EU output.