What is Europe’s ‘trade bazooka’ being floated as an answer to Trump’s Greenland threats?

European leaders are in talks to deploy its most powerful economic weapon, the anti-coercion instrument — informally known as the “trade bazooka” — to counter President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs if Denmark threatens to sell Greenland to the U.S.

The Anti-Coercion Instrument provides a legal framework for the bloc to defend its sovereign policy choices against any non-EU country using economic intimidation, like tariffs or quotas, to interfere with EU affairs. 

Unlike traditional trade measures that require unanimous consent from all 27 member states, the ACI can be triggered by a qualified majority of 15 countries, representing 65% of the EU population. 

If activated, the EU could deploy a range of response measures targeting the coercing country.

These measures include imposing customs surcharges through