Jan 19, 2026, 1:04 p.mJan 19, 2026, 1:04 p.m
Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission wants to initially rely on dialogue in the Greenland conflict with the USA. “It is clear from the consultations among EU leaders, including President von der Leyen, that the priority is to seek dialogue, not to escalate, and to avoid imposing tariffs,” said a spokesman in Brussels. The reason is that the imposition of further tariffs would ultimately harm consumers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Image: keystone
The spokesman did not say how the dialogue with the USA would be organized. According to him, a meeting between von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was not initially planned.
EU can use defensive instruments if necessary
At the same time, the spokesman made it clear that the EU has defensive instruments in the event of new US tariffs being imposed and will use them if necessary. “We will do everything necessary to protect the EU’s economic interests,” he said. The spokesman responded with these sentences to the question of whether the EU Commission was prepared to use the instrument against coercive economic measures after Trump’s recent tariff threats. This would allow retaliatory tariffs to be imposed on imports of US goods. In addition, US companies could be excluded from awarding public contracts – or import and export restrictions could be imposed on certain products.
Trump’s tariff plans include imposing punitive tariffs from February 1 on goods from Germany and other European NATO countries that recently sent soldiers on a fact-finding mission to Greenland as a sign of solidarity with Denmark. Trump wants to force Denmark to sell the Arctic island to the United States. (sda/dpa)