Jan 25, 2026
3 min read
The European Union has sufficient legal, commercial and strategic tools to respond to threats in Greenland.The question is whether Europe can defend itself, but whether it wants to.
The return to the White House of Donald Trump and the inaction of the main European leaders have revived the recurring dilemma about the future of Europe.Once again, the European Union is presented as a politically powerless actor: unable to defend itself, dependent on the United States for its security and reluctant to confront the increasingly errant American president for fear of reprisals.However, this story falls apart when confronted with reality.In Denmark (and Greenland), thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest Trump's rhetoric.Far from being a sign of weakness, these protests reflect a new European conviction: the conviction that the threat from the United States requires close cooperation among Europeans and that only a more united Europe will be able to stand up to the Trump administration.
This "European-pessimistic" speech conflates two different factors: the lack of political will to confront the United States and the lack of institutional muscle and real tools to do so.In addition, it does not agree with the views of the European Union outside the bloc.According to a study published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, more and more countries, including China, Brazil and South Africa, see Europe as an independent player with its own priorities and agenda different from the United States.For the first time since its creation, writes Alberto Alemanno, the European Union is seen not as a common common market or a collection of sovereign states, but as a political player with a unique political and economic model.To a large extent, this explains the policy of the Trump administration, whose national security policy is an open obstacle to the European model of society.
Yes, in recent months Europe has been obedient in the face of Trump's insults, certainly influenced by the need to maintain its support for Ukraine.But this passivity is not explained by the weakness of the European project, but by the mediocrity of leaders who are more concerned with their internal balances - as manifested, for example, in the opposition of France, Italy and Belgium to the use of frozen Russian assets - or in avoiding a confrontation with Trump, than in protecting the interests of the Union.The question, then, is not whether Europe can respond, but how to express political, legal and economic responses to the threats of the Trump administration.
First of all, Brussels can demonstrate its economic power.Because the European Union is a major trading partner of the United States, it has mechanisms to put pressure on the economy.First of all, we need to postpone the ratification of the trade agreement signed with the United States last summer.The agreement generally benefits the United States and provides limited benefits to Europe.It announced that it would suspend ratification as long as the threat to Greenland persists.
Second, the European Union can activate its Anti-Economic Instrument (ACI).This mechanism, known as the "trade bazooka", makes it possible to respond to the economic or commercial measures of third countries that want to pressure the European Union or any of its member states.The tariffs announced by Donald Trump meet these criteria and would therefore justify the activation of the instrument.It would allow the European Union, for example, to limit access to the United States' internal market, impose taxes on exports to that country or limit the participation of American companies in public contracts in Europe.
Of course, Brussels also has the usual legal instruments.To begin with, it has its own tariff policy, which it used strategically in the past.The list proposed by the European Commission in 2018 expected sectors that are particularly sensitive to Trump's electoral base and the Republican Party.In addition to tariffs, the EU has regulatory tools, such as the Digital Services Regulation, which are designed to regulate the digital market and protect basic consumer rights.This regulation restricts the operation of major technology platforms, many of which are American.Since his arrival, the Trump administration, which has well-known ties to the companies, has been under intense pressure to end their use until it can secure the removal of tariffs to ease European digital regulation.Strong enforcement of the Digital Services Regulation sends an unmistakable signal: The Union has the power to regulate and no one, not even America's biggest tech companies, is above the law.
Besides the resources and legal managers, Europeans will note that Europe will notice Denape supports Denape to Denmark against an American threats.The team language and submission of the European army to Greenland is a valid, but not enough.Europe must go forward.At the point, it's necessary to claim Trump to wear the island, the end of the NATO, who are going to keep many groups - the month.- On the European area.NATO of the Americans are limited to Arctic, anxiety that definition is definitely explaining Trump's interest in Greenland.
On the other hand, the Union should remember that the destruction of NATO does not mean the end of European protection.The European Union, which includes 23 of the 32 members of the Atlantic Alliance, has a mutually protective clause that compels itself to respond to the aggression against Denmark.Europe, which wants to show its strategic strength, will step up military support for Ukraine after the declarations of France and Britain and will make the Trump administration realize that the allegations surrounding Ukraine are limited.
Relying on legal and economic arsenals to defend itself against the United States is essential, but not sufficient.In the face of hostile actions by the Trump administration, the EU must strengthen its alliances with other regions and assert its independence.The ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur is a historic milestone: after 25 years of negotiations, it opens the door to a common market of more than 700 million inhabitants and means that Europe can speak with its own voice.Beyond Latin America, the EU must form regional alliances in Africa and Asia with countries that do not accept the American discourse of the end of the international order, that is, believe that common norms are the best way to make the world habitable.China and India cannot deviate from this alliance policy, before that the EU must adopt its own strategy in line with its geopolitical interests without giving in to Washington's war rhetoric.
Finally, the European Union cannot forget the importance of maintaining ties with democratic forces in the United States.This is important, first, because Trump's power fades as the 2028 elections approach and, in particular, after the legislative elections in November 2026. and 17%, and many Republican legislators have already announced that they oppose any attempt at annexation.But beyond the tactical considerations, the support of the American democratic forces - showing that they are not alone and have European support - also a way of returning the support provided by the United States, under Franklin Roosevelt, to the European opposition That Washington campaign, today the EU should remind the American population, when the storm subsides, that Europe will always be there.
The past twelve months have been a disaster for Europe, which is more concerned with pleasing Trump than protecting its political and economic interests.The intervention in Venezuela and the threats in Greenland must mark a change.The European Union must make clear that its sovereignty is non-negotiable and that no country, no matter how uncooperative, will even think of attacking the territory of the European Empire.and the Union will cost more, including the United States.If Europe wakes up from its slumber, the deceptive behavior of Trumpism may sow the seeds of a bold, independent Union with greater political power.Otherwise, the European project risks fading into nothingness in an increasingly hostile world.
Hi Guillermo, thanks for the article.I share your opinion.We Europeans can be great if we believe.
