European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday paused work on a planned EU-U.S. trade deal, saying Washington’s tariff threats tied to President Donald Trump’s push for U.S. ownership of Greenland have damaged trust in transatlantic trade ties.
Bernd Lange, the chair of Parliament’s International Trade Committee, said the committee’s shadow rapporteurs agreed to suspend work on two pieces of “Turnberry” implementing legislation “until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation,” according to a statement from the European Parliament. The statement cited what it called “continued and escalating threats” against Denmark and Greenland, including tariff threats, and reaffirmed Parliament’s support for Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty.
The move came shortly after Trump again pressed his case for U.S. ownership of Greenland during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump said he would not use military force to achieve that goal, while arguing that the United States is uniquely positioned to secure the territory. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump said, after suggesting the U.S. would be “unstoppable” if it chose to apply “excessive strength and force.”
Parliament said in its statement that the decision was made because of pressure. It added that using tariffs to pressure an EU member state hurts “stability and predictability” in EU-U.S. economic relations and that parliamentarians had “no choice” but to stop the process.
Background: The “Turnberry Deal” refers to a political agreement reached in July 2025, later outlined in an August 2025 joint statement announcing an EU-U.S. framework on tariff and trade issues. The European Commission then introduced two legislative proposals to implement parts of that framework, with Parliament’s trade committee responsible for steering the legislation and negotiating with EU governments on final customs duties.
Lange is set to address the decision at a 4 p.m. Wednesday press conference in Strasbourg, the Parliament statement said.
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