In currency markets, the euro recovered from an early dip to rise 0.3% to $1.1628, while sterling clawed its way back up to $1.3389.
The dollar eased 0.4% against the Swiss franc to 0.7988 francs, and 0.2% against the yen to 157.80.
Archiv: Handel / Zonen / trade / zones
Trumps Zölle wegen Grönland: EU holt zum Gegenschlag aus
Bei den Beratungen auf dem EU-Sondergipfel über die Reaktion auf den offenen Erpressungsversuch des US-Präsidenten dürfte die Aktivierung eines EU-Instruments zur Abwehr wirtschaftlicher Nötigung diskutiert werden – dieses wird auch als „Handels-Bazooka“ bezeichnet. Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron werde beantragen, das sogenannte Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) zu nutzen, hieß es aus dem Umfeld des Präsidenten. Das Gesetz ermöglicht der EU Gegenmaßnahmen, wenn wirtschaftlicher Druck ausgeübt wird, um politische Entscheidungen zu erzwingen.
What is the EU‘s anti-coercion instrument, and how does it work?
The ACI allows the EU to shut off access to the European single market representing 500 million consumers. It limits trade licenses and access to public procurement tenders. For American services, it means the European market would be off the table.
France to request activating EU anti-coercion instrument to deter US tariff threats: Report
Macron‘s entourage told broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday that the president will ask, on behalf of France, for the activation of EU‘s Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), also known as trade „bazooka“ to deter Washington.
ACI is primarily a deterrent mechanism requiring approval by a qualified majority of member states and allowing the bloc to impose measures such as restricting access to public procurement or blocking certain investments.
France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations, in Europe and elsewhere. This guides our choices. It underpins our commitment to the United Nations and to its Charter.
It is on this basis that we support, and will continue to support Ukraine and that we have built a coalition of the willing for a robust and lasting peace, to defend these principles and our security.
It is also on this basis that we decided to take part in the exercise organized by Denmark in Greenland. We fully assume this decision, because security in the Arctic and at the outer edges of our Europe is at stake.
No intimidation or threat will influence us—neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations.
Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond in a united and coordinated manner should they be confirmed. We will ensure that European sovereignty is upheld.
It is in this spirit that I will engage with our European partners.
A stunned Europe finally wakes up to Trump’s Greenland threat
It’s not often that Europe speaks with one voice – or responds with such urgency.
But US President Donald Trump’s announcement Saturday of sanctions against several European countries that reject any US claim to Greenland, a Danish territory, was one of those moments.
An emergency meeting of EU ambassadors will take place in Brussels on Sunday in response to Trump’s threat, which he made after an estimate quarter of the population of Greenland’s capital Nuuk joined protests against any potential annexation.
Freihandelsabkommen unterzeichnet Was das Mercosur-Abkommen für die Wirtschaft bedeutet
Sechs Staaten sind Mitglied von Mercosur, von denen vier Teil des Abkommens mit der EU sind: Argentinien, Brasilien, Paraguay und Uruguay.
EU and South America’s Mercosur bloc sign landmark free trade agreement
The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.
The signing ceremony in Paraguay’s humid capital of Asunción marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc’s foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing.
Trump says 8 European countries will face 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff, Trump said in a social media post while at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rate would climb to 25% on June 1 if no deal was in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States, he said.
Europe must now tell Trump that enough is enough – and cut all ties with the US
So what can Europe do, as this mad historic fantasy comes closer to reality? How do you maintain a space of democracy and the rule of law in a world that is rapidly reverting to imperialism, oligarchy and the rule of power alone? Only by building a protective moat of federalism around it.
If the US actually attacks Denmark by invading Greenland, and declares war on the EU, a treaty-bound defensive alliance, the hand of history will be forced. Europe would need to both expand and restructure to become a defence and intelligence union that absorbs Nato’s non-EU members.
(…)
And if the US doesn’t attack Denmark, Europe’s best chance of surviving as a free and open continent in an imperial world is still to force the rupture with the US, force the consequences, and force the federalism anyway.
France says US action against Greenland could endanger EU trade, FT reports
(January 16, 2026)
France‘s Finance Minister Roland Lescure has warned U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that any move to seize Greenland would amount to a „crossed line“ endangering Europe‘s economic relationship with Washington, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
„Greenland is a sovereign part of a sovereign country that is part of the EU. That shouldn’t be messed around [with],“, Lescure told FT.
EU Parliament eyes freezing US trade deal over Trump’s Greenland threats
(January 9, 2026)
“I cannot imagine that in the current situation MEPs would vote for any trade measures benefiting the U.S.,” the Greens’ top trade lawmaker and chair of the Internal Market Committee Anna Cavazzini told POLITICO.
“We should have such a discussion, it’s inevitable,” added Brando Benifei, the Socialist lawmaker who chairs Parliament’s delegation for relations with the U.S.
Under the deal, most EU exports are subject to a 15 percent U.S. tariff. To complete its side of the bargain, the EU also needs to pass legislation to abolish all tariffs on U.S. industrial goods, including the 10 percent it currently slaps on U.S. cars, and ease market access for some farm produce and seafood.
Why Arab rulers remained silent over US seizure of Maduro
(January 8, 2026)
Egypt’s quiet is easy to explain. Cairo receives roughly $1.3bn a year in US military financing. Its hardware, maintenance chain and spare parts depend on American gatekeepers. Public outrage is a cost it cannot afford.
The UAE sits in a different position, but it faces another version of the same risk. It is a financial hub built on access, compliance and credibility. In a world where Washington can turn political conflict into legal exposure, the safest posture is often silence.
Algeria was supposed to be the outlier: despite a diplomatic relationship dating back to its 1795 treaty with George Washington, it has long defined itself through deep ties with Moscow and a fierce anti-imperial vocabulary.
If any Arab state had the ideological space to speak about sovereignty as a principle, it was Algeria. It stayed quiet anyway. That is the lesson: the distance non-aligned regimes claim is thinner than it looks when your trade, energy and finance run through chokepoints Washington can pressure.
Brazil‘s Lula, Argentina‘s Milei clash over Venezuela at Mercosur summit
resident Javier Milei clashed with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Saturday at the regional Mercosur summit about the fate of Venezuela, as US President Donald Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Caracas.
Sparring comments from Lula and Milei came at a meeting of the South American bloc, at which a future trade deal with the European Union was on the agenda.
“Venezuela Cuts Gas Ties with Trinidad: The Real Cost of Siding with America”
In this episode, Nigel exposes the full story behind Venezuela’s decision to suspend its gas agreements with Trinidad and Tobago — and why it could devastate our energy future.
Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, announced the suspension of all joint projects with Trinidad, citing betrayal after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar welcomed U.S. warships into our waters. But this isn’t just political drama — it’s economic suicide. The Dragon Gas Field held over 4 trillion cubic feet of gas, nearly half our remaining reserves, and could have secured decades of energy and revenue for Trinidad and Tobago
Venezuela suspends energy agreements with Trinidad, including gas projects
„I have approved the measure,“ Maduro said.
His order immediately suspended all aspects of the energy agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, he said, and Congress and the Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in with additional recommendations.
That would likely mean Venezuela would revoke the license to develop the massive Dragon natural gas field, among other projects.
Venezuela suspends Trinidad and Tobago gas accord over US warship visit
The licence on the field permits the British multinational oil and gas company Shell and Trinidad’s National Gas Company to develop the Dragon gasfield off Venezuela despite the sanctions targeting Maduro’s government.
Shell is separately developing the Manatee gas project, which crosses the maritime border into Venezuela but has received permission from the Maduro government to be developed on the Trinidad side independently. It was not immediately clear whether that project could also be at risk, the Reuters news agency reported.
Exclusive: China state oil majors suspend Russian oil buys due to sanctions, sources say
A sharp drop in oil demand from Russia’s two largest customers will put a strain on Moscow’s oil revenues and force the world’s top importers to seek alternative supplies and push up global prices.
Chinese national oil companies PetroChina (601857.SS), Sinopec, CNOOC and Zhenhua Oil will refrain from dealing in seaborne Russian oil at least in the short-term due to concern over sanctions, the sources said.
Global Sumud Flotilla: Colombia expels Israel’s trade delegates after kidnapping of activists
In a post on social media platform X, Petro said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was already wanted by the International Criminal Court, committed “another international crime” by ordering the kidnapping of Colombian citizens in international waters.
The Colombian activists, Luna Barreto and Manuela Bedoya, were among a group of 497 anti-genocide activists that tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea.
Colombia to cancel free trade deal with Israel, “reform” treaty with US
(September 30, 2025)
„We had the most powerful international trade agreement with the Andean Pact. And now the political satraps come out and say that it is with the United States. When was that the case? Our industrial goods were sold to Venezuela and Ecuador. There was always food trade in the Andean Pact. Why did we abandon the Andean Pact? To prioritize a free trade agreement with the United States that hurts us.“
President Gustavo Petro
Turkey cuts all trade ties with Israel, shuts its airspace and ports over Gaza war
Turkey on Friday announced that it has decided to completely sever all commercial and economic ties with Israel and close its airspace to Israeli aircraft, marking a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two countries amid the ongoing war in Gaza. The government has also barred Turkish vessels from entering Israeli ports.
Strong words, weak action: European Union’s cautious stance on Israel
Data shows that despite strong public opposition by EU member countries to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and accusations of war crimes by international bodies, the EU remains reluctant to take any meaningful economic action against Israel.
Wieso stimmte Bundesregierung gegen Überprüfung von Menschenrechtsverstößen Israels durch die EU?
Deutschland findet sich immer mehr in einer Minderheitenposition in der EU wieder. Diese Woche am 20. Mai stimmte Berlin gegen die überwiegende Mehrheit der EU-Länder, die einem niederländischen Vorschlag gefolgt waren, eine Prüfung einzuleiten, ob Israel mit dem Vorgehen in Gaza gegen seine Menschenrechtsverpflichtungen gemäß Artikel 2 des Assoziierungsabkommens zwischen der EU und Israel verstoßen hat. Die NachDenkSeiten wollten wissen, mit welcher Begründung sich Deutschland gegen eine solche Überprüfung ausgesprochen hat.
UK pauses trade talks and EU reviews relationship with Israel, as pressure grows on Netanyahu to halt Gaza siege
The United Kingdom paused trade negotiations with Israel and sanctioned West Bank settlers, as Britain’s top diplomat slammed Israel’s operation in Gaza as “morally unjustifiable” and “wholly disproportionate.”
Meanwhile, the European Union announced that it would review its relationship with Israel, with the EU’s foreign policy chief calling the situation on the ground in Gaza “catastrophic.”
EU to review its trade and cooperation with Israel over Gaza offensive
Nine member states — Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden — had publicly backed the Netherlands‘ proposal ahead of Tuesday‘s gathering of foreign ministers.
Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia also backed the review on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources. Austria, a staunch supporter of Israel, did not take the floor to voice any opposition, another diplomat said.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Lithuania were said to be against, while Latvia was „neutral“, the sources also said.
Netherlands to rally EU support to increase pressure on Israel amid divisions across Europe
The Netherlands is set to try to rally support from other European Union countries to increase pressure on Israel on Tuesday by calling for a review of relations, as western nations increasingly criticise the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The Dutch move has garnered strong support from human rights groups but will be no easy task due to the rejection of a review by Germany and deep divisions within the bloc over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Dow set to soar 1,000 points after Trump team and China dramatically lower tariffs
US stocks surged on Monday after President Donald Trump’s top trade officials brokered a surprisingly dramatic de-escalation in trade tensions with China over the weekend, dropping tariffs to much lower levels, which some economists say could stave off a US recession.
Dow futures rose more than 1,000 points, or 2.6%. S&P 500 futures were 3% higher, and Nasdaq futures gained 3.9%.
Hochrangiges Wirtschafts- und Handelstreffen zwischen China und den USA beginnt in Genf
China und die Vereinigten Staaten haben am Samstag ein hochrangiges Treffen zu Wirtschafts- und Handelsfragen in Genf begonnen.
Der chinesische Beauftragte für Wirtschafts- und Handelsfragen zwischen China und den USA, He Lifeng, der auch Mitglied des Politbüros des Zentralkomitees der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas und Vizeministerpräsident ist, nimmt gemeinsam mit dem US-Finanzminister Scott Bessent an dem Treffen teil.