EU member states have held off imposing immediate retaliatory trade measures against the United States, including the use of the EU’s toughest response weapon, known as the Anti Coercion Instrument (ACI), according to an EU diplomat.
The decision not to use the ACI, or to immediately reinstate some €93 billion in retaliatory tariffs against the Trump administration, which were suspended last summer to allow for the completion of the EU-US trade deal, was taken during an emergency meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels.
“At present, there is no question of deploying the ACI or any other trade instrument against the US,” said the diplomat.
“The EU’s €93 billion in rebalancing measures have been suspended until 6 February.
“The EU will only decide after 1 February whether to extend that suspension.”
The diplomat said that ambassadors reaffirmed their “unequivocal” support for Denmark and Greenland, adding that “territorial sovereignty and integrity are non-negotiable, and the security of the Arctic region is a shared transatlantic interest”.
The diplomat said member states would seek dialogue and a diplomatic solution, starting at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, where US President Donald Trump will address delegates on Wednesday.
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