Greenland tensions have thawed. The EU is putting its energy into closing a major free trade deal with India this week, and Trump’s focus is on Minneapolis (where the horrifying killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents has raised almost no outcry in Europe, except from the ever-outspoken Teresa Ribera).
But while many of Europe's leaders want to get back to implementing the EU-US trade agreement, key members of the European Parliament are not so ready. At a closed-door meeting of the Trade Committee this afternoon, MEPs will discuss whether to restart their work – or keep the deal in the deep freezer as a punishment for Trump’s Greenland threats.
“We shouldn’t want to, let’s say, rush this whole exercise,” Parliament Trade Committee chair Bernd Lange told my colleague Thomas Møller-Nielsen on Sunday. His committee was scheduled to vote on the deal this week but called it off amid the Greenland chaos.
A vote could technically be scheduled for Tuesday but that looks unlikely – it would mean the Parliament caving in on a lopsided deal its members already don’t like and want to amend. MEPs will discuss the US trade deal with senior EU trade official Leopoldo Rubinacci behind closed doors today.
Lange said the nebulous nature of the agreement Trump struck on Greenland with NATO chief Mark Rutte was a reason not to hurry. He also mentioned Trump's decision to expand his already high steel tariffs to more products – a month after the Turnberry Agreement. The Parliament is yet to reach a position on the EU’s side of the bargain: lowering tariffs on some US industrial and agricultural products, including lobster, to zero.
US pressure is mounting. Andrew Puzder, the US ambassador to the EU, last week accused Europe of dragging its feet and called for it to implement the deal “without further obstruction.” He will address MEPs on Wednesday. Unlike Congress, the EU Parliament is still asserting itself on trade policy and tariff setting.
Lange has support from other groups, including the French-dominated Renew, which is opposed to speeding up until there is a “thorough assessment” of where things stand on Greenland. The Left’s leader Manon Aubry told Thomas that proceeding with the deal’s ratification would only entrench the EU’s status as a US “vassal.”
The centre-right EPP, though, has done a 180 from last weekend, and wants to restart the work immediately. The ECR was never in favour of any delays. So it remains to be seen where the majority lies.
Delaying longer risks enraging the US. But with the EU’s mooted €93 billion tariff retaliation now safely back in the drawer, and the trade ‘bazooka’ left untouched – as we predicted – a further delay might be the only real-world consequence for all of Trump’s Greenland theatrics.
Hurdles persist for EU–India deal
Fresh from fending off trade threats from Donald Trump, the EU is racing to lock in a long-awaited prize. On Tuesday, von der Leyen and Costa are set to meet India’s PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi to seal a free trade agreement covering sectors including cars and defence cooperation. But last-minute snags involving EU climate legislation still need ironing out before it can be signed.
The timing, for Brussels, could hardly be better. As Washington sharpens its trade rhetoric and Europe scrambles to diversify partners, clinching a deal with India offers scale, growth and geopolitical ballast, my colleague Alice Bergoënd writes in her essential explainer. Von der Leyen and Costa will be in the spotlight today as the guests of honour at India’s Republic Day celebrations.
But the final stretch remains bumpy. The two sides are still at odds over sustainability provisions, with India resisting EU demands to elevate human rights and Paris Agreement commitments to “essential elements.”
India has also sought carve-outs from EU climate rules, notably the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), a request Brussels has so far flatly rejected. In a win for the EU, India is set to cut tariffs on cars imported from the EU, down from rates as high as 110% to potentially 40%, according to Reuters.
Asked how the two sides plan to bridge these gaps, von der Leyen told the Times of India over the weekend that both sides were “working intensively” on CBAM, automobiles and steel. “The final mile is always the hardest, but it will be more than worth it,” she said.
Weber cracks the whip
EPP leader Manfred Weber has punished at least 13 MEPs from his parliamentary group for failing to vote against a motion of censure on the Commission last week. It includes all seven of the Hungarian MEPs whose party leader Péter Magyar brought his Tisza party into the group last year. For the next six months the sanctioned MEPs won’t be able to lead new legislative files on behalf of the EPP or speak in plenary. The EPP refused to divulge any details, saying it was an internal matter. Read the full story.
Exclusive: EU’s Board of Peace worries
The EU’s diplomatic service has legal concerns about the charter underpinning Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace, according to a document seen by Euractiv.
Signed into existence last week in Switzerland, the intergovernmental body has met little enthusiasm from EU capitals. The European External Action Service warned the governance model departs from UN principles, pointing to Trump’s proposed role as inaugural chairman, with veto powers and sole authority to appoint his successor. The concentration of power, the EEAS argues, would clash with the “autonomy of the EU legal order.” Read the full story.
No internet? For sure
Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday he wants to expedite a national law banning social media access for children under the age of 15, the latest in a wave of efforts worldwide to curb the use of social media by young people. Read the full story.
