Macron Urges EU to Deploy Strongest Trade Tool Against U.S. Tariff Threats

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Union to activate its “most potent trade weapon” in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European goods linked to the Greenland dispute.

Macron said the proposed tariffs amount to economic coercion and urged the bloc to consider using the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI)  a powerful trade mechanism adopted in 2023 but never before used. The tool would allow the EU to impose wide-ranging countermeasures, including restrictions on market access, public procurement bans, and retaliatory tariffs.

Trump has warned of escalating tariffs on imports from several European countries unless progress is made on U.S. demands related to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. European leaders have firmly rejected the proposal, stressing that sovereignty issues are non-negotiable.

The issue is set to dominate an emergency EU meeting, as member states weigh how to respond while seeking to prevent a sharp escalation in transatlantic trade tensions. Macron said Europe must show unity and be prepared to act decisively if threatened by unilateral economic pressure.