BRUSSELS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Valerie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, on Sunday urged European Union (EU) leaders to activate the EU's Anti-Coercion Instrument following the latest U.S. tariff threats over Greenland.
In a letter sent to European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Hayer argued that the EU must move "from reliance to deterrence" in the face of escalating U.S. pressure.
"If the United States wants to play hardball because it thinks the EU is just a soft power that will simply take it, let this be clear: the U.S. is making not only a dangerous miscalculation, but a painful one," Hayer said.
She called for the use of the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which has never been used before, describing it as an "economic nuclear weapon" that would allow for immediate retaliation.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb. 1. Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, he said on social media.
Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland. ■