Macron to urge EU to use trade 'bazooka' in response to Trump's tariffs
Source: Politico (EU)
January 18, 2026 1:39 pm CET
French President Emmanuel Macron will ask the EU to activate the bloc's so-called trade "bazooka" — the Anti-Coercion Instrument — in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland. “He will be in contact all day with his European counterparts and will ask, in the name of France, the activation of the Anti-Coercion Instrument,” Macron's office said on Sunday.
The instrument offers the EU various punitive trade measures that can be taken against trade rivals that try to threaten the bloc. Those measures include restrictions on investment and access to public procurement schemes, as well as limits on intellectual property protections.
On Saturday, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European countries that oppose his plans to take control of Greenland. EU ambassadors are convening an emergency meeting later Sunday to respond to the tariff threat.
Macron responded later Saturday by saying: "Tariff threats are unacceptable." "No intimidation or threat will influence us," Macron said in a post on X. "Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner ... We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld," he added.
Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-to-urge-eu-to-use-trade-bazooka-in-response-to-trumps-tariffs/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Some specifics - Protecting against coercion
Am thinking this may have been drafted to deal with Russia (particularly after their invasion of Ukraine) but it'll be ironic to use it against an ally.
