The European Parliament has resumed consideration of a trade agreement with the US after Washington withdrew its threats related to Greenland.

On February 4th, the European Parliament (EP) announced it would resume the review process of a key trade agreement with the United States, after President Donald Trump retracted his threats to control Greenland.

According to European parliamentarians, the EP still needs to approve the removal of tariffs on US industrial goods under the agreement, but this process has been suspended since January amid rising tensions related to Washington's stance on Denmark's autonomous territory of Greenland.

In a statement, Bernd Lange, Chairman of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, affirmed that committee members are ready to expedite the consideration of the two related legislative proposals, provided that the United States respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the European Union (EU) and its member states, and fully complies with the agreement reached in July 2025. According to Lange, the committee may make a decision on the implementation of the agreement at its next meeting on February 24th, before submitting it to the full European Parliament for a vote.

Mr. Lange stated that the EP amendments would add a clause allowing the suspension of the agreement in the event of actions threatening the territorial sovereignty of EU member states. He emphasized that the message to Washington is clear: respect for European sovereignty and full compliance with the EU-US agreement are non-negotiable.

In addition, the EP also expressed concern about the 50% tariff that the US is applying to European steel and aluminum, and called on Washington to lower this tariff. According to Mr. Lange, as long as the tariff is not reduced to 15%, the EU will not approve tariff-free access for US steel and aluminum to the European market.

The EU and the US reached a trade agreement last summer, under which the US imposed a 15% tariff on EU goods, while the EU lifted tariffs on a range of US products. European parliamentarians are expected to discuss and decide on the agreement at the end of February in the commission, before presenting it to the full European Parliament in the following weeks.

However, the EP delayed ratification after President Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs on eight European countries for not supporting the US demand regarding Greenland. Last month, the US leader withdrew his intention to control Greenland, after stating that he had reached a “framework agreement” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to strengthen US influence in the Arctic region

Source: VTV

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