EU pushes open markets as Trump’s Greenland tariff threat escalates: Video
European Council President António Costa used a high-profile visit to Asunción to underline the European Union’s commitment to free markets and cooperation, stating that prosperity depends on opening markets rather than raising barriers.
Costa’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 10 per cent tariff on goods from several European countries that sent troops to Greenland as part of a security deployment, a move the White House linked to Trump’s controversial bid to purchase the Arctic territory. The tariffs, set to take effect on 1 February and rising to 25 per cent in June unless an agreement on Greenland is reached, target Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.
Costa stressed that what the world needs is cooperation, not conflict, and reaffirmed the EU’s defence of international law, territorial integrity and human rights — pointing to crises from Ukraine to Venezuela as examples. European leaders have condemned Trump’s tariff threats as detrimental to transatlantic relations and are coordinating a unified response, warning that punitive tariffs could trigger a dangerous downward spiral in global trade.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
