The European Council will meet in extraordinary session tonight in Brussels to discuss the issues that have arisen around the US insistence on receiving Greenland.
The meeting, at which Bulgaria will be represented by the outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, is expected to last several hours.
The President of the European Council Antonio Costa specified a few days ago that his consultations with European leaders had shown unity regarding the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty; unity in support and empathy with Denmark and Greenland; consideration of the shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, especially through NATO; a general assessment that the tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and are incompatible with the EU-US trade agreement.
According to Costa, EU countries are ready to defend themselves against any form of coercion. According to him, they remain ready to continue to engage constructively with the US on all issues of common interest.
Costa's invitation to the heads of state and government of EU countries was made before US President Donald Trump's speech yesterday to participants in the World Economic Forum in Davos. Trump specified that the issues regarding Greenland would be resolved through negotiations and with the participation of NATO, without resorting to the use of force. Earlier, the president had stated that countries that support Greenland and Denmark would be taxed additionally in trade with the US. This week, the European Commission said that trade restrictions with Washington could be introduced from February 7, but no decision has yet been made.
Trump announced last night that he would not impose the tariffs, which were due to take effect on February 1, after a meeting in Davos with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. A spokesman for Costa later said that today's meeting would be cancelled and would instead focus on new developments in transatlantic relations and their implications for the EU.