European Union (EU) lawmakers are set to halt approval of a trade deal with the United States (US) following President Donald Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on countries supporting Greenland.
European People's Party (EPP) President Manfre Weber explained on Saturday that the deal is now difficult to pass.
In a post on social media, Weber said the EPP supports the EU-US trade deal, but with Trump's threats against Greenland, approval of the deal is unlikely for now.
The deal that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck with Trump last summer has begun to be partially implemented, but still needs the approval of the European Parliament.
If EPP lawmakers join forces with a different political group, they could potentially block or delay approval of the deal.
The deal sets a 15% US tariff on most EU goods in exchange for the EU's promise to eliminate duties on industrial goods, as well as some agricultural products from the US.
Von der Leyen hopes the deal can avert a full-scale trade war with the US.
However, criticism from some EU lawmakers has long been heard, with claims that the agreement is biased and more in favor of the US.
Tensions have been rising as the US extended 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium to hundreds of EU products after the deal was signed.
Recently, Trump announced a 10% trade tariff on goods from Germany, Norway, Denmark, the United Kingdom (UK), Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and France, which will take effect from February 1.
However, the rate will increase to 25% in June if no agreement is reached between the US and the EU on the Greenland issue.
The move was taken by Trump as pressure to take over Greenland from the EU.
European leaders have strongly rejected the threat. Von der Leyen stressed that the tariffs would damage transatlantic relations and risk triggering a dangerous economic collapse.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the threat as “unacceptable” and called on the EU to suspend implementation of the agreement until the threat is removed.
He also urged the EU to use its anti-coercive instrument, the union's most powerful counter-trade tool.
Amid the tensions, an agreement that was once expected to strengthen EU-US economic ties is now at great risk.
The open conflict in the two sides' trade policies shows that negotiations that were once considered strategic are now entangled in political games and unilateral pressure, thus destabilizing global markets.
