The European Union finds itself at a critical juncture as US President Donald Trump escalates his threats of tariffs against European countries. French President Emmanuel Macron’s rebuke of Trump’s tactics during his speech at the Davos forum has set the stage for a showdown in Brussels this week, where EU leaders must decide how to respond to the American president’s coercive demands.
Trump’s attempts to strong-arm Greenland and Denmark, backed by explicit tariff threats, are not mere bluster but a clear case of economic coercion. The EU now faces a moment of truth – if it cannot defend the interests of one of its member states, it risks being weakened as a geopolitical actor. For too long, European leaders have clung to the belief that they cannot use the EU’s economic power against the US due to their dependence on Washington for security.
However, this argument is flawed and strategically corrosive. In a world of open coercion, appeasement and restraint do not bring stability, but rather invite further pressure. The EU must now demonstrate its willingness and capability to sustain pressure against the US, lest it be progressively picked apart by a predatory Washington.
EU leaders meeting in Brussels this Thursday must issue an unequivocal rejection of Trump’s demands and set out a clear plan of forceful economic countermeasures. This includes suspending the Turnberry trade deal, reimposing tariffs on $93 billion worth of US exports, and mobilising the EU’s never-before-deployed anti-coercion instrument.
The stakes are existential for Europe – a union that cannot defend itself economically cannot hope to shape its security environment either. The EU must show Trump that he has misjudged his opponent, or risk sliding into irrelevance. The alternative is not peace or stability, but a Europe that ceases to matter on the global stage.
