On January 19, speaking in Berlin, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil made an official statement related to the latest diplomatic tension between the US and Europe.
He affirmed that US President Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland has reached the "red line" of the European Union (EU) and the 27-nation bloc needs to consider using special legal tools to respond.
Speaking at a joint press conference with French counterpart Roland Lescure, Mr. Klingbeil emphasized that Europe is constantly facing new provocations and confrontational attitudes from the US. He said this is the time for European countries to clearly show that the limit of tolerance has been broken.
Tensions escalated after President Donald Trump suddenly announced that he would impose a 10% tariff on goods imported from 8 European countries on January 17, taking effect from February 1. According to the roadmap proposed by Mr. Trump, this tariff will increase to 25% in June, unless the parties reach an agreement on "buying back Greenland".
Mr. Klingbeil proposed activating the "European legal toolkit". This is a mechanism established to respond to coercion by sensitive sanctions.
Currently, the EU is urgently discussing response options. Close sources say that the bloc is considering imposing retaliatory tariffs on about 93 billion euros (equivalent to 108 billion USD) of US goods if President Trump realizes his threat.
Regarding sovereignty, Mr. Klingbeil affirmed that the territorial integrity of Greenland and Denmark is inviolable. He said that in internal negotiations, the common view is not to compromise under pressure.
Mr. Klingbeil also warned that Europe must be ready to act immediately and preparations need to be carried out now instead of waiting until the last minute.
