February 2nd Deadline Looms as Brussels Prepares Counter-Strike

Brussels has formally suspended the ratification of its trade agreement with the United States following President Trump’s linkage of tariff threats with his Greenland ambitions. European lawmakers have characterized this approach as blackmail, prompting the parliament’s most significant material response to the escalating situation.
According to Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament’s trade committee, no possibility for compromise exists while Greenland-related threats remain active. The frozen trade deal had been designed to provide American industrial exporters with zero-tariff access to European markets across multiple product categories.
The European Union has maintained its $750 billion energy purchase commitment, which officials confirm operates separately from the suspended trade agreement. This strategic separation allows Brussels to preserve energy cooperation while defending against political coercion.
Diplomatic tensions escalated when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen changed her post-parliamentary plans. She bypassed a Davos stop where Trump was attending the World Economic Forum, returning instead directly to Brussels for emergency summit preparations.
The Thursday evening crisis summit will address the full range of options available to Brussels should Washington proceed with its threatened tariffs, set to take effect on February 2nd. European leaders will discuss imposing €93 billion in counter-tariffs on American exports and potentially activating an unprecedented anti-coercion mechanism. Originally conceived to limit Chinese economic pressure on individual EU states, this instrument could restrict US companies from accessing European markets. Lange conceded that much could happen before the deadline, noting that surprises from the White House occur on a daily basis. Potential targets include technology corporations, cryptocurrency businesses, aircraft manufacturers, and agricultural exporters, though officials recognize consumers might face increased costs.