The European Parliament suspends the ratification of the EU-US trade agreement. It was about Greenland
2026-01-20 16:51, updated 2026-01-20 17:25
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2026-01-20 16:51
update
2026-01-20 17:25
The European Parliament has suspended the ratification of the trade agreement concluded last year between the European Union and the United States. The chairwoman of the S&D group, MEP Iratxe Garcia Perez, told journalists that there was “majority agreement” between the groups on this matter.
As an EU source told PAP, the vote on the agreement in the European Parliament's International Trade Committee was to take place on January 27, but there is currently no support for this move in the European Parliament.
So far, the largest group in the EP, the European People's Party (EPP), was in favor of continuing the ratification process of the agreement in the EP, but changed its mind.
“The EPP supports the EU-US trade agreement, but given Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland, its approval is not possible at this stage. Tariffs on American products at 0% should be stopped.” – wrote the leader of this group, German MEP Manfred Weber, on the X platform over the weekend.
The EPP is in favor of the EU–US trade deal, but given Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The 0% tariffs on US products must be put on hold. #EuropeanUnity
— Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) January 17, 2026
“The EU will not succumb to intimidation.” Socialists and People's Party unanimous on the USA
Two other groups also decided to suspend the ratification process of the agreement – Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe. Without the support of these three groups, the agreement will not obtain a majority in the EP.
As PAP found out, a meeting of political groups on this matter is to be held on Wednesday in Strasbourg.
The Renew Europe group spoke in the same spirit as Weber. Its leader Valerie Hayer wrote on X that “President Donald Trump's threats to impose higher tariffs on countries that do not agree to his plan to annex Greenland are unacceptable.”
“It is therefore time to move from reliance on the EU to deterrence. Renew Europe therefore cannot vote on the EU-US trade deal,” she added.
Bessent to Europe: Take a deep breath. A tariff war is the worst-case scenario
US Finance Minister Scott Bessent advised European countries on Tuesday to “take a deep breath” and not retaliate against the announcement of new tariffs by the US. The minister also justified the desire to acquire Greenland by pointing to the transfer of the Chagos islands by Great Britain to Mauritius.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the additional tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump were a mistake. The EU and the US concluded a trade agreement last year, and when friends shake hands, it must mean something, she noted.
Negotiations have been going on since March
In July 2025, the head of the European Commission and President Trump agreed on a trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. Von der Leyen then said that, according to the agreement, the 15% customs rate would cover the majority of EU exports to the US, including: automotive, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.
Negotiations on the trade agreement between the US and the EU have been ongoing since March, when the US administration announced the introduction of the first round of tariffs on European imports. These included 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum; then a 30% rate appeared in the negotiations. tariffs on European exports to the USA. As von der Leyen said on Sunday, without an agreement with the US, this rate would come into force on August 1.
From Strasbourg Łukasz Osiński (PAP)
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