BRUSSELS — Senior EU lawmakers want the European Parliament to freeze the EU-U.S. trade deal in response to President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland.
The deal was deeply unpopular across party lines as it was seen as overwhelmingly favoring Washington, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sold it as the price of keeping Trump onside. However, Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric this week, saying “we need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” and has repeatedly refused to rule out military intervention.
As a result, members of the European Parliemnt from the center-left, liberal, green and left-wing groups say the deal should be blocked.
“I cannot imagine that in the current situation MEPs would vote for any trade measures benefiting the U.S.,” the Greens’ top trade lawmaker and chair of the Internal Market Committee, Anna Cavazzini, told POLITICO.
