The European Parliament has formally put a hold on implementing the framework agreement between the US and the EU agreed last year, the chair of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) Bernd Lange said on Wednesday following US threats of new tariffs amid the Greenland dispute. Trump’s response came on Wednesday following a “very productive meeting” with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte.

Trump has reversed course on Wednesday and abandoned plans to impose tariffs on a group of close U.S. allies that had objected to his push to acquire Greenland.

President Donald Trump said he and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.” Details about the framework agreement were unclear.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said that as a result of that negotiation, he would no longer impose punitive tariffs on a slew of European countries that were set to begin Feb. 1.

Earlier, Lange said lawmakers had been left with “no alternative but to suspend work on the two Turnberry legislative proposals until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation, and before any further steps are taken.”

“EU-US deal is on hold until further notice!” Bernd Lange said on social media. “Business as usual impossible.”

The INTA chair accused Washington of threatening “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of an EU member state” and “using tariffs as a coercive instrument.”

He said the European Parliament had an “unshakable commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.”

In July 2025, the EU and the US reached a political agreement on tariff and trade issues (Turnberry deal), outlined in detail in an August 2025 joint statement announcing an EU-US framework agreement. The Commission then published two legislative proposals aimed at implementing certain tariff aspects of the EU-US framework agreement.

“This Framework Agreement will put our trade and investment relationship – one of the largest in the world – on a solid footing and will reinvigorate our economies’ reindustrialisation,” a joint EU statement read.

In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, the European Parliament denounced the use of “unilateral trade threats and economic intimidation against Denmark and other EU member states as a form of coercion.”

Describing these moves as incompatible with international law and the core principles of cooperation between NATO allies, MEPs say that Greenland must not be used as a tool to divide the European Union. They call on the EU to respond firmly, collectively and decisively, and to resist any such coercive efforts.

The Parliament also highlights the “growing unpredictability and isolationism in US foreign policy,” as it says, including the “risk of troop withdrawals from Europe.” It calls for EU contingency planning, increased and coordinated defence spending in member states, stronger European defence capabilities, and greater strategic autonomy, while maintaining a balanced transatlantic partnership.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday called for Europe’s spending surge to be channelled into Greenland’s local economy and infrastructure, while strengthening Arctic security.

The President addressed the current situation with Greenland and the United States: “When it comes to the security of the Arctic region, Europe is fully committed. And we share the objectives of the United States in this regard. For instance, Finland – one of the newest NATO members – is selling its first icebreakers to the US. This shows that we have the capability right here.”

More specifically, on the tariffs proposed by the US administration, President von der Leyen described them as a mistake: “The EU and US have agreed to a trade deal last July. And in politics as in business – a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something,” she said.

The President announced that the Commission is working on a package of support to the Arctic security based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. The package will include massive investments in Greenland to support the local economy and close cooperation in matters of security with allies and partners in the Arctic, including the US, the UK, Canada, Norway and Iceland.

She also stated: “I believe Europe needs to adjust to the new security architecture and realities that we are now facing. This is why Europe is preparing its own security strategy, which we plan to publish later this year. As part of this, we are upgrading our Arctic strategy.”

Ursula von der Leyen concluded reiterating that Europe needs to adapt quickly to the new realities: “Europe must speed up its push for independence – from security to economy, from defence to democracy. The point is that the world has changed permanently. We need to change with it.”