Tánaiste Simon Harris, has warned that the Greenland affair must not be allowed to spiral into “further instability”.
The European Union is on red alert after US President Trump announced over the weekend that he plans to slap tariffs on European countries most supportive of Denmark’s ownership of Greenland.
Trump has ramped up his rhetoric in recent weeks and his demand that the US “must” take Greenland for itself.
The US will do it “the easy way” or “the hard way”, Trump has warned.
In a joint statement, the presidents of the European Commission and European Council said that “tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
“Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty”, the added.
EU ambassadors met last night to discuss their position ahead of an emergency summit later this week.
Meanwhile Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, will meet his EU counterparts in Brussels later today.
“At a time of heightened global uncertainty, it is vital that we avoid actions that risk further instability; The focus must be on working together to protect all of our economies across the EU”, Simon Harris said ahead of the meeting.
It is understood that the EU will consider reactivating frozen counter-tariffs against the US, if Trump proceeds with his threat to impose 10 percent tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland from next month.
The UK and Norway are not in the EU and are considering their own responses in coordination with the European Union.
The Greenland affair is a distraction from the war in Ukraine and other major world events.
“Ireland has long recognised the scale of the challenges faced by Ukraine and our support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering”, said Simon Harris.