HELSINKI, Jan. 19– Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson said on Monday that the United States’ tariff measures linked to Greenland are “absurd,” stressing that Europe should not bow to pressure and must respond firmly.
Speaking to Swedish television, Svantesson said U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs in an attempt to force Greenland “into U.S. hands” marked “a new low” in global trade policy.
“This is trade policy at new lows — it is not even trade policy, but something like a game,” she said, adding that Europe is facing an unprecedented period of “political turbulence” as Washington makes what she described as completely unreasonable demands.
Svantesson called for a tough and coordinated European response, saying the countries concerned broadly agree they should be “tough and harsh” in pushing back.
“We cannot stand politely with our hats in our hands and bow down to this,” she said.
“We must not allow the U.S. president to play the tariff card like this on serious issues such as taking over Greenland.” Svantesson said she understood concerns about tariffs, but underscored the unity of the EU as one market.
“Tariffs are bad; they are harmful. We should push back,” she said.
“But we should feel calm that we have good conditions to cope when it comes to the economy … stand together as the EU. We are a larger market than the United States.”
On Saturday, Trump said that the United States would impose 10-percent tariffs from Feb. 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Finland, and threatened to raise the rate to 25 percent from June 1 unless an agreement is reached on what he called the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.
The remarks triggered swift pushback across Europe.
The targeted eight European states issued a joint statement on Sunday, warning that tariff threats would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral, pledging a “united and coordinated” response.
According to Swedish media, European governments have called for an extraordinary meeting later this week to discuss countermeasures, including possible EU tariffs on U.S. goods worth around 1 trillion Swedish kronor (about 108 billion U.S. dollars) and broader restrictions such as barring U.S. companies from public procurement in the EU. (1 Swedish krona = 0.11 U.S. dollar). (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
