The Parliament in Strasbourg condemns the American trade threats and economic intimidation against Denmark and other EU member states. This is incompatible with international law and the core principles of cooperation among NATO allies.
EU politicians also say that Greenland must not be used as a tool to divide the EU. They want the EU to respond forcefully and collectively, opposing such coercive measures.
President Trump stated on Wednesday evening that he is refraining from additional import tariffs on the eight EU countries that sent a military preparatory mission to Greenland, as a form of protest against Trump's threatening rhetoric.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament assessed both the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) of the EU. A 'bow of instability' has formed around the European continent, according to the MEPs. From Ukraine to the Caucasus, from the Middle East to the Sahel, and from the Arctic region far beyond.
The Parliament believes that the political influence and global visibility of the EU often lag behind the EU’s economic, financial, and diplomatic weight. This needs to change. Lessons must be learned from the new US foreign policy, which is based on deals and less focused on cooperation and protecting Europe. This can help the EU avoid vulnerability to coercion in the future.
At the same time, the MEPs express concern about the Trump administration’s national security strategy, which "formalizes an unfounded American policy that regards the EU’s fundamental values, democratic principles, and core security objectives as opposed to American interests."
The NATO and the US remain Europe’s most important allies, the European Parliament acknowledges. Nevertheless, it also points to the increasing unpredictability and growing isolationism of the US. In the new annual report on common defense policy, co-authored by Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten (GroenLinks-PvdA), the Parliament makes recommendations to realize European Defense.
"For nearly twenty years, the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy has largely existed only on paper; it is time for this to become reality," he says. The current reality demands urgency, unity, and the willingness to act. "It’s not about competing with NATO, but ensuring Europe can stand on its own two feet and be a credible player in the field of security," according to Reuten.
The basis of the joint defense policy should be that European troops can operate autonomously under a single command structure, independent from NATO.