Europe needs to "play hardball" as it deals with fresh threats from US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on European countries amid rhetoric of seizing control of Greenland, MEP and Chair of the Renew Europe parliamentary group told Euronews' morning show Europe Today.
"We should be stronger than we have been until now. We should acknowledge that the appeasement strategy is over, and that we should now play hardball, because Trump only understands the balance of power and the language of strength," she said.
Trump is on his way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where his ambitions for Greenland overshadow his original plan to use his appearance at the gathering of global elites to address affordability issues back home.
Trump's threat of tariffs on Denmark and seven other European allies would start at 10% next month, walking back on the EU-US trade deal signed in Scotland last summer. The tariffs could even climb to 25% in June if no deal was in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States, Trump said.
As Trump inidicated he was using tariffs as leverage against European countries over Greenland, Hayer said Europe should show its own "economic leverage" and readiness to use it.
"We could decide new tariffs. We could decide to sell American debt. Do you know that we have more than $1 trillion of American debt?"
Hayer also advocated for the use of the EU's anti-coercion mechanism to de-escalate tensions. The bloc's so called "trade bazooka", or Anti-Coercion Instrument is one of the options being weighed, a measure which could shut off US companies' access to the European single market.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Europe "prefers respect over bullies" and that the EU "should not be hesitant" to use it.
Hayer called on other groups in the European Parliament to also take on a more aggressive position. "We have been calm since very first day with Donald Trump. And we have to acknowledge that it doesn't work."
