Overview

In its efforts to acquire Greenland, the US administration announced on January 17, 2026, that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom would be subject to an additional 10% tariff after these countries sent a small number of military personnel to Greenland. On January 21, the US administration defused the conflict and surprisingly withdrew the announcement of the additional tariffs. The additional tariff would have been levied from February 1, 2026, and increased to 25% on June 1, 2026. The US administration cited an agreement with NATO on Greenland and the entire Arctic region as the reason for the withdrawal. Despite the withdrawal of the announcement of additional tariffs, the EU Parliament put work on the implementation of the trade agreement agreed between the EU Commission and the US administration on July 27, 2025, on hold from January 21. At a special summit of EU heads of state and government on January 22, 2026, on the subject of additional tariffs and the debate on Greenland with the US, agreement was reached to continue to work for good relations with the United States and to resume work on implementing the trade agreement. According to EU Council President António Costa, the introduction of additional tariffs would have been incompatible with the trade agreement between the EU and the US. Due to the calming of the situation, the EU has also suspended its own special tariffs on goods originating in the US, which were prepared in 2025 and amount to 10, 25, and 30%, for a further six months. These special tariffs would otherwise have come into force on February 7, 2026, and would have applied to motorcycles, jeans, poultry, beef, almonds, corn, furniture, and some household appliances, among other things. In addition, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a comprehensive investment package for Greenland to invest more in Arctic security in the future.