Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris will meet senior European commissioners as Brussels braces for a new round of EU‑US trade tensions, triggered by President Donald Trump’s escalating pursuit of Greenland and fresh tariff threats.
Over the weekend, Trump threatened tariffs on six EU countries as well as Norway and the United Kingdom, saying they had opposed his ambitions to take over Greenland. The EU trades as a bloc, and any additional U.S. duties would likely be applied to all member states — including Ireland — raising the stakes across the single market.
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Harris is set to hold talks with EU Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luís Albuquerque, according to officials. EU finance ministers are also due to convene to assess the potential impact and coordinate a response to any U.S. measures.
The renewed friction puts pressure on a fragile truce struck last year, when Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to limit tariffs at 15% on EU goods entering the United States after months of negotiations. A shift back toward escalation would introduce uncertainty for exporters and investors already contending with a slowing global economy.
In a brief television interview, Trump declined to say whether he would use force to seize Greenland. “No comment,” he told the network when asked directly.
Harris is expected to tell his counterparts that Europe is facing an “existential moment” as the risk of a “spiral of events” grows. He will warn that the fallout could inflict significant economic damage on European economies — and on the United States — if tensions are allowed to harden into a tariff war.
“We can achieve so much more through cooperation than conflict,” Harris said in a statement ahead of the meetings. “We have a trade deal which brings much-needed certainty, and every effort should be made to ensure that it remains the framework that governs trade between the EU and the US.”
He added: “Now is a time for cool heads and for further dialogue. The destabilising effects of these geopolitical developments, should they proceed, are potentially enormous. Europe will stand united and respond accordingly, but for now dialogue is so important to try and find a way forward.”
European officials say unity among member states will be crucial, given that trade policy is set at EU level and retaliation would likely be calibrated for maximum effect across sectors and geographies. Ireland, a highly open economy deeply integrated into transatlantic supply chains, would be among the most exposed to any broad U.S. tariffs.
The meetings with Dombrovskis and Albuquerque are expected to focus on options to preserve the current framework, maintain market confidence and keep channels open with Washington. Finance ministers will also discuss contingency planning should talks falter, including technical preparations for potential countermeasures under EU trade rules.
For now, EU capitals are emphasizing diplomacy. But officials acknowledge that sustained pressure over Greenland — a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark — combined with tariff threats has already unsettled markets and complicated the political climate in Europe and beyond.
Any escalation would come at an awkward time for the global economy, where growth remains fragile and supply chains are still recalibrating after recent shocks. European leaders argue that the costs of a tariff spiral would be borne on both sides of the Atlantic, and that the better course is to reinforce last year’s deal and return to predictable, rules‑based trade.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
