The EU plans to make two sets of preparations to prevent Trump from imposing tariffs

EU diplomats said that at the emergency meeting on Sunday (January 18th), the EU reached a broad consensus to intensify efforts to dissuade US President Trump from imposing tariffs on European allies, and was also preparing for retaliatory measures in response to the implementation of US tariffs.

Reuters reported that the ambassadors of the 27 EU member states held an emergency summit in Brussels on the 18th to discuss various response plans. One of the options was to impose tariffs on 93 billion euros worth of US imports. This tariff, which had been suspended for six months, may automatically take effect on February 6th.

Another option proposed by the EU is to employ the "Anti-Pressure Instrument" (ACI), a tool that has never been utilized before. This instrument can restrict access to public tenders, investments, or banking activities, or limit service trade - the United States has a trade surplus in these areas with the EU, including digital services.

European Council President Costa said on the same day that he has decided to hold a special meeting of European leaders this week. An EU official said that the special meeting of European leaders might be held on Thursday (the 22nd) and will be held in an offline format.

On January 17th, Trump announced on social media that starting from February 1st, the United States would impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. From June 1st, the tariff would be raised to 25%, until the United States reached an agreement on "comprehensive and complete purchase of Greenland". Major EU member states condemned this move as extortion.