The United States’ trade deal with the European Union is now on ice\u2014with Greenland at the center of the freeze. The European Parliament has halted approval of the trade.<\/b>
\nThe United States’ trade deal with the European Union is now on ice\u2014with Greenland at the center of the freeze. The European Parliament has halted approval of the trade deal struck in July after President Trump floated tariffs of 10% to 25% on European countries opposed to his push to acquire Greenland, per CNBC. Bernd Lange, who chairs the Parliament’s trade committee and oversees EU-US trade relations, said Trump’s tariff threat violates the terms of the pact, which limits tariffs on most EU imports at 15%, reports NBC News. \u00ab\u00a0A deal is a deal\u00a0\u00bb, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. \u00ab\u00a0And when friends shake hands, it must mean something.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

Lange pointed to Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the president called for \u00ab\u00a0immediate negotiations\u00a0\u00bb tied to acquiring the Arctic territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump ruled out the use of military force, something Lange called a \u00ab\u00a0small positive element\u00a0\u00bb, but the lawmaker said the core issue\u2014the threatened tariffs\u2014remains unresolved. \u00ab\u00a0Until the threat of them is over, there will be no possibility of compromise\u00a0\u00bb, Lange said, adding that the approval process will be paused \u00ab\u00a0until there is clarity regarding Greenland and the threats.\u00a0\u00bb He said Trump’s use of tariffs for \u00ab\u00a0political pressure\u00a0\u00bb is \u00ab\u00a0an attack against the economic and territorial sovereignty\u00a0\u00bb of the EU, and urged the US to resume \u00ab\u00a0a path of cooperation rather than confrontation.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n