By Muhammad Mamman
The European Parliament has suspended work on a major EU–US trade agreement, halting the ratification process indefinitely in protest at U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial demands over Greenland and associated tariff threats. 
Lawmakers said they were left with no choice but to pause the legislative process on the so‑called Turnberry Deal — a wide‑ranging trade pact agreed last July aimed at cutting tariffs and boosting transatlantic commerce — after Mr Trump linked the pact’s progression to negotiations on acquiring Greenland and threatened punitive tariffs on key European allies. 
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, slammed the U.S. stance, saying that using tariffs as a coercive political tool and threatening the sovereignty of an EU member state’s territory “undermines the stability and predictability of EU–US trade relations”. 
Under the original deal, the EU had planned to eliminate most import duties on American goods, while the United States agreed to cap tariffs on European exports at around 15 per cent. However, the agreement still required parliamentary approval before it could be fully implemented — approval that will now be postponed until Washington abandons what European officials describe as aggressive pressure tactics. 
The Washington–Brussels trade pact was billed as a significant milestone in transatlantic relations, promising to strengthen economic ties between the world’s largest trading blocs. But Mr Trump’s recent public push to bring Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory with strategic Arctic importance — into U.S. control has alarmed EU politicians and diplomats alike, triggering diplomatic unease and economic uncertainty. 
European leaders are preparing for emergency talks in Brussels, where they are expected to weigh a range of potential responses, including retaliatory tariffs and the activation of EU trade defence tools if the dispute escalates further. 
The suspension of the trade deal marks a sharp deterioration in relations between longstanding allies and highlights deepening tensions over geopolitical influence in the Arctic and the future shape of global trade policy. 
What Happens Next?
• The European Parliament will not resume debate on the trade legislation until threats tied to Greenland and tariffs are lifted. 
• EU leaders are convening an extraordinary summit to coordinate a unified response to U.S. pressure tactics. 
• Brussels may consider activating its anti‑coercion trade measures or imposing tariffs on U.S. goods if diplomatic channels fai
